


Book 5: A New Path

by ThatOneGuy56



Series: My Works [8]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, Not Canon Compliant - The Legend of Korra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:06:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 57,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26653399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOneGuy56/pseuds/ThatOneGuy56
Summary: Four years after Kuvira’s failed attack on Republic City, Korra and the rest of Team Avatar adjust to their new lives. Meanwhile, bodies begin to pile up as a strange killer haunts the streets.
Relationships: Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato, Lin Beifong/Kya II, Mako (Avatar)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: My Works [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1912684
Comments: 136
Kudos: 98





	1. Chapter One: A Message and a Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the wait on this one, but it took longer than I thought to prepare. But here’s my attempt at a non-smut related story. 
> 
> Also, don’t worry I’ll still be updating Korra Can’t Help Herself. I just might not be able to update as often as I have been, but I’ll do my best.

The Satomobile came to a stop before a medium sized, brick building in the heart of Republic City’s Dragon Flats borough. The car itself was nothing truly remarkable, resembling one of the thousands of other Satomobiles that came off the production line. The four figures who stepped out of it weren’t much to look at either. That is, unless you were to take a closer look. From his perch atop his motorcycle, a large man with greying black hair did just that. Burn scars covered most of his face and neck, his metallic right hand gripped the handlebars. He wore a black leather coat and matching pants. There were three men and a woman. All of them appeared to be of either Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom descent. Expect the woman, who looked to have a little Water Tribe mixed in as well.

Everything about their outside appearance was purposefully designed to attract as little attention as possible. But the man’s grey eyes picked up on the smaller details: each of them carried themselves in a way that reminded him of United Forces veterans. The woman in particular stood out compared to her comrades, as she continually scanned the street before the building. The scarred man glanced up the broken street light above him. He’d scoped out his hiding spot several times during the week he’d been watching this building, and knew it was the only blind spot on the street.

“You sure this is the right place?” Her voice was gruff, as if she wasn’t used to using it. She turned to face the driver, a stocky man with a bald head and carefully trimmed beard.

“Yeah, yeah this is the place.” He grumbled.

“Can’t believe they actually let him out.” Another man added. He was of average height and build. The slight bulge of his sleeve betrayed the fact that he was wearing a shock glove. “I mean, I thought they’d have him locked away somewhere deep.”

“Enough chit chat.” The driver, who appeared to be the leader of their little band, snapped. “He’s expecting us, and you know how he gets about expediency.” The figures turned and headed towards the building. Seeing his chance, the scarred man hauled himself off the motorcycle and hurried towards them, the metal fingers of his right hand curling into a fist. The woman spotted him first.

“Hey, who the hell are-“ She never got to finish her sentence, as the scarred man drove his metal hand into her face. Bone crumbled beneath his knuckles, and she flew back into the brick building with a wet smack. Her companions stood frozen for a brief moment, looking from their fallen friend to the scarred man before them. The stocky driver recovered quickly.

“You’re going to pay for that, pal!” He growled, leaping forward. The scarred man grinned and stomped a foot on the ground. A small patch of concrete shot up, tripping him and sending him toppling into the scarred man’s chest. Cold metal fingers closed around the driver’s neck and squeezed. A blur of a movement in his peripheral vision was his only warning. The fourth man, who was slightly taller than the other four and scrawny, rushed him. The scrawny man landed half a dozen punches to his side, before the scarred man could even move.

“What the hell?” The scrawny man muttered, as his chi blocking seemed to have no effect. With a sharp twist of his wrist, the scarred man broke the driver’s neck.

“Yeah, that ain’t gonna help you here, bub.” The scarred man chuckled, turning to face him. Both men were of a similar height, but the chi blocker was clearly lighter on his feet. That just makes it more interesting. The scarred man thought to himself. He brought his fists up, the bright gleam of his metal fist contrasted with the dark earth-glove covering his left hand. The chi blocker fell into a low stance, cracking his neck and beginning to circle his opponent.

A soft clicking sound came from behind him. He spun, shoving aside the third man’s shock glove as it lunged for his face. While the material of his outfit protected him from chi blocking attacks, there was little he could do if that glove made contact with him. He stomped a second time, capturing glove-man’s feet in a concrete prison. He looked over his shoulder in time to see the chi blocker rushing him again. He ducked beneath a blow meant for his neck, and used his earth bending to tilt the concrete under his opponent’s feet slightly.

The chi blocker stumbled into his companion. Glove-man tried to catch him, seemingly forgetting that his shock glove was activated. The chi blocker’s eyes widened and he shook violently, before dropping to the ground. Smoke drifted off his limp body.

“Well, that was certainly helpful.” The scarred man chuckled. He approached glove-man slowly, twisting to avoid the sparking glove as it reached for his shoulder. He grabbed the man’s wrist, and brought the palm of his metal hand down on his elbow. The joint snapped loudly, and he twisted the arm around to slam the shock glove into the man’s face. He held it there for a long moment, watching his body twitch, before releasing his hold. Glove-man toppled over, face smoking and feet still trapped in concrete. The scarred man double checked to ensure all four were deceased, before turning his attention to the building.

There were lights coming from the third floor. I could go through the main entrance, but they’ll probably have more guards watching it. He thought. Remembering the trick his father taught him, he placed his hands on the brick and used earth bending to dig his fingers in. He grunted, as he reached up with his metal hand and began to crawl his way up towards the third floor widows. Once he reached them, he tried to peer inside, but the glass was covered in grime. Making it impossible to make out any details, besides the glow from the lighting. Closing his eyes, the scarred man used his bending to reach out towards the miniscule particles of earth within the glass pane.

Luckily it was impure enough to bend, and he carefully coaxed it out of its wooden frame. He then opened his eyes and slipped through the hole. The room beyond was an abandoned office space. Desks were arranged in neat rows, each one was covered in a thick coating of dust. Three men stood at the other side of the room, just opposite a door with a stairwell sign on it. They straightened up, as the scarred man climbed into the room. All three rushed him at once. Flexing his hand, the scarred man broke the glass pane into a dozen shards. Using his bending, he split the shards into two groups and shot them towards two of the charging figures.

One managed to dodge just in time, while the other was practically eviscerated. Keeping his hold on the glass, the scarred man twisted away from a chi blocking jab to his abdomen. Grabbing the man by the coat, he twirled around and used all his strength to hurl the chi blocker at one of the desks. He collided with it with a wet crack! Spinning around, the scarred man ducked beneath a kick meant for his head and used his glass to shove his opponent out of the open window. The man gave a shout, before smacking into the concrete below.

“Somehow I thought that you’d be more challenging.” The scarred man muttered, shaking his head. Sighing, he approached the only other door in the room, and opened it. There was a man standing before the wall opposite the door. He was staring at several pieces of paper that were taped in place.

“It’s about time, Shing.” The man said, turning around. “I trust that you handled what-“ His words died in his throat.

“I’m guessing one of them was Shing?” The scarred man smirked, gesturing with his metal hand to the bodies behind him. He stepped inside the small room, kicking the door shut behind him.

“Who the hell are you?” The other man demanded, his long mustaches fluttering. The scarred man grinned.

“I apologize in advance for what I have to do,” he began, cracking his neck. “But I need to send a message, and I need to be certain it’s received loud and clear.”

—

To say that Sergeant-Detective Mako was having a bad day, would be the understatement of the century. First, his alarm had failed to go off at the proper time. Next, his police-issue motorcycle wouldn’t start. And now, the cab he hailed was caught in bumper to bumper traffic as he tried desperately to get to police headquarters at a decent time. After nearly an hour stuck in traffic, Mako finally walked through the entrance of the station. He nodded to the receptionist, as he approached the elevators. Once on the second floor, he made his way to the office he’d given after being promoted to sergeant. It was small and moderately decorated, but it was his and so that made it perfect.

No sooner had he sat in his desk chair, than his younger brother Bolin appeared at the doorway, saying: “Don’t get comfortable yet, sergeant. We’ve got eight bodies down in the Dragon Flats, and the Chief wants us there pronto!”

Yes, Mako was having a very bad day.

—

On the opposite side of Republic City, Asami Sato was having an excellent day so far. She’d just gotten to Future Industries Tower, after spending a long morning in celebration with Korra. Her body was sore, but in a good way, as she sashayed her way through the halls. She smiled and nodded in greeting to the employees who called out to her.

“Good morning, Mrs. Sato!” Chimed her assistant, Ming. Asami jumped a little. The other woman had a knack for appearing when she least expected. Ming Shu was slightly younger than Asami, and appeared to be of Water Tribe descent, though Asami had never really asked which Tribe she was from. Not that Ming would’ve told her regardless. The assistant was very guarded about her personal life.

“And good morning to you too, Ming!” Asami replied, flashing her best smile.

“You’re in a chipper mood today.” Ming followed Asami into her office, shutting the door behind her. “So it worked, then?” Asami set aside her handbag, and settled into her desk chair.

“It did.” She beamed. “Though, Kya says that it’s still too early to get excited just yet. The paperwork is still being processed. But thank you for the recommendation.”

“Of course.” Ming smiled, as she set a stack of files onto the desk between them. “I may not care for romantic relationships myself, but I love helping my friends with theirs, if I can. Plus we both know that I live vicariously through you.” She added with a playful wink. Asami laughed.

“So what’s on the schedule for today?” The CEO asked, pulling the pile towards her and putting on her reading glasses.

“Well, other than a phone meeting with President Moon after lunch, there’s not a whole lot except paperwork.” Ming explained, motioning towards the pile. “Unfortunately, the Water Tribe delegates haven’t gotten back to us yet about the next step for the Trade Deal, and until they do we’re basically just sitting on our hands.”

“Okay, thank you Ming.” Asami said with a long sigh. “See if you can’t find a way to lean on them a little, I need them to understand that the Trade Deal is beneficial for all of us.” Ming gave a short nod, before spinning on her heel and leaving the office. Asami leaned back in her chair with another sigh. Sure, the Water Tribes were still being a pain in her side, but she couldn’t have cared less. She and Korra had just officially filed the paperwork to become foster parents, and nothing in the world could possibly ruin that for her.


	2. Chapter Two: To Bathe in Blood

The crime scene was absolute chaos: Republic City police officers had set up metal barricades all around an abandoned four story building in the heart of the Dragon Flats borough. Junior officers had been assigned to redirect traffic and pedestrians, while their more experienced comrades busied themselves with collecting evidence. A huge crowd of reporters was being kept at bay by six metalbenders. Chief Saikhan stood not far from the building’s entrance, his back facing the road as he argued with somebody who Mako couldn’t see. He and Bolin had only just arrived, after a short discussion about which route was the fastest to take, which he had lost since Bolin was driving.

They showed their identification, before they were allowed past the police line. Once they were let through, they made their way towards the Chief.

“I haven’t seen so many officers in one place since the evacuation.” Bolin muttered. Mako grunted in agreement. It’s definitely not a good sign. The firebender thought. As they approached the Chief, Mako was surprised to see it was none other than Lin Beifong who Saikhan was arguing with. The former Chief of Police looked as unimpressed as she always had, as she crossed her arms and glowered at her replacement.

“I understand why you’d feel the need to oversee things for yourself,” Saikhan was saying. “But I have this under control.”

“I’ve been gone six weeks, and eight people were murdered overnight.” Lin snapped. “Yeah, I’d say it’s definitely under control.” She poked him in the chest to emphasize the last two words. “I’m staying and that’s the end of this discussion, period. You copy?” Saikhan gave a slight nod, grimacing. “Ah, Mako finally!” Lin turned to address the firebender and his brother as they approached.

“So, what do we have so far?” Mako asked, glancing at the bodies behind her. “I’m guessing the rest of the bodies are inside? I was told there were eight in total.”

“Yes, there’s three more up on the third floor.” Saikhan answered, pointing up. “So far we know that the killer, or killers, were earthbenders. Other than that, we haven’t found anything useful.” As he spoke, Bolin wandered over to the bodies and began to inspect them. Mako observed his brother carefully. Ever since his time serving in Kuvira’s military, Bolin hadn’t been the same. Most people didn’t notice, but nobody knew the young earthbender better than Mako did. Except maybe Opal.

“Hey, isn’t that one of the shock gloves Hiroshi used to make?” Bolin asked, pointing to one of the bodies. The three other officers joined him.

“Yes, it is.” Lin confirmed. “But that’s not exactly unusual: after the Equalists were defeated, a lot of those weapons were stolen by the Triads. I even heard rumors of a new gang popping up, which was supposedly made up of former chi blockers and nonbenders.”

“I believe they were calling themselves the Blue Dragons.” Saikhan added. “But I haven’t heard anything about them in a while now.” The older man turned from the body to study the building before them. “Those look like hand holds.” He pointed to a series of oddly placed marks on the brick. Mako moved to the wall, carefully avoiding the pools of blood on the concrete. He placed his hand over one set of marks. Sure enough, they marched the form of a hand, though they were spread too widely for his own to fit in comfortably.

“I heard stories of the Dai Li using their earthbending to climb walls.” He said, turning to the face the others. “Maybe that’s what the killer did?”

“Regardless, I’d like to see the other bodies.” Lin said gruffly. “Maybe they’ll provide more clues.” Saikhan nodded and led them inside. Four officers stood guard inside, three in the lobby and the fourth standing just before the doorway to the third floor. “Has anyone been in there yet?” Lin asked. The officer shook her head slightly. The former chief starred towards the door, but Saikhan stopped her.

“This is an excellent teaching moment,” he said, turning to Mako and Bolin. “We couldn’t control the contamination of the crime scene outside. But this has one yet to be disturbed since the bodies were found. You two go in alone, and keep your eyes peeled. Look for anything that stands out.”

Mako gave a nod, before leading Bolin into the room. Immediately the smell of decaying flesh assaulted them. Outside, the wind had helped to mask the worst of the smell, but the small office did nothing to disperse it. Bolin gagged. Mako gave him a sympathetic look, before turning his attention to the room before them. Twelve desks were arranged in two neat rows, six on either side, and each one had a similar coating of thick dust. He spotted the first body immediately. It was a man lying on his side. As he approached the corpse, Mako noticed that the man’s chest and abdomen had a half-dozen large glass shards embedded into it.

“Spirits, what happened here?” Bolin muttered, joining him by the body. “There’s another over there, I’ll go check it out.” The young earthbender moved towards a second body, which was crumpled against a desk. Mako turned towards the only other door in the room, moving carefully to avoid the large pool of blood surrounding the first corpse. The door opened with a squeak. He froze at the sight before him. The third corpse was a slim man, with long mustaches. The man’s mouth was open and the end of a metallic baton stuck out between his teeth.

“Well, shit.” Mako breathed, tasting bile in his mouth. Come on, Mako, you can handle this. He scolded himself. Swallowing his disgust, he approached the body and squatted down to inspect it. Something about the man’s face was oddly familiar to him, but he couldn’t quite place it. Lowering his gaze, he noticed that the man’s shirt had been torn open and fabric had fallen back into place. Blood splattered the once immaculate material. Double checking that he was wearing gloves, Mako reached forward and pulled back the ripped shirt. One, all too familiar word was carved into the man’s chest: Sato.

—

“Meelo, I swear if you poke me again, I’m gonna earthbend your hands together.” Korra muttered. The faint sound of shuffling told her that the young airbender had moved away from her. She was sitting under the gazebo on Air Temple Island, doing her best to meditate. Despite all the practice she’d gotten over the years, it was still difficult to do whenever she was experiencing emotional turmoil. And today she was definitely feeling torn up. Sure, it had only been a few days since she and Asami had filed their paperwork with the orphanage, but Korra could help her impatience.

Sighing, she gave up on meditation and opened her eyes. The familiar sight of Yue Bay filled her vision. Half a dozen ships were entering or leaving the harbor, save for one United Forces warship that stood guard at the Bay’s entrance. The Island was unusually quiet today, most of the new Air Nation had spread out to the old Air Temples so they could continue their peace work. Tenzin and Pema had taken Rohan to the Southern Water Tribe to visit Katara. Leaving Jinora, Ikki and Meelo to run things on the Island in the meantime.

Getting up, Korra made her way inside the Temple. She nodded politely at the Air Acolytes she passed, who bowed in return. Part of her missed living here, especially since the Air Kids seemed to grow every time she left. But the rest of her didn’t miss having to sneak out every night to spend time with Asami. Nor did she miss having to sneak the CEO in and out of her dorm. They’d been caught once by Ikki and it took the promise of a makeover from Asami to convince the young airbender not to tell on them.

Korra smiled at the memory. Yes, she’d had a lot of good times in this place. However, she knew that she and Asami were going to be making a whole lot of better memories together. She waited for an Acolyte who was carrying a load of laundry, before entering the Temple’s living space.

“Well hello, Avatar!” A familiar voice called from the radio room as she passed it. Turning, she saw Chen sitting in his usual chair. The Air Acolyte was busy sketching in his notebook, his customary playful smirk on his face.

“Hello to you, as well.” Korra replied. She leaned one shoulder against the doorframe, a hand on her hip. “What are you drawing this time?”

“Just an owl-cat that lives in the upper part of the Temple.” He said, turning his notebook so Korra could see the drawing. It was a very lifelike depiction of a cranky-looking owl-cat. “As you can see, he’s not a fan of people.”

“Clearly.” She chuckled.

“Doing anything exciting?” Chen asked, returning to his sketching. “I can see if there’s a pro-bending match going on.”

“Normally I would, but I promised to meet Asami for lunch.” Korra replied. She checked her watch. Asami had given it to her the year before as a birthday gift. It had a blue and white band, with a platinum face. “In fact I should probably get going, or I’m going to be late again.” Chen laughed as she hurried away.

Half an hour later, Korra landed on the balcony of Asami’s office. She folded up her glider and set it aside, before knocking. Asami appeared on the other side of the glass doors. The CEO pulled them open with a smirk.

“You know, you could just take the regular entrance.” The raven haired woman teased. Korra leaned up to steal a kiss.

“What would be the fun in that?” The Avatar replied, smirking. “Besides, remember what happened last time?” Asami sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Korra tried to take a normal route to the CEO’s office, only to be suddenly bogged down by a group of admirers. It took the entire security team of Future Industries Tower to convince the people to stop bothering the Avatar and return to work as usual.

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Asami complained. “Those same people still try to keep an eye out for you. You’d think that they’d just get used to it, especially now that we’re married.”

“I’ve gotten used to it.” Korra said with a shrug. She seated herself on the small couch in Asami’s office. It was a spacious room, with one wall completely made of glass providing an unobstructed view of Republic City. The other walls were lined with bookshelves and paintings. Asami’s desk was covered in what Korra could only describe as controlled chaos. Yet she knew from experience that the older woman knew exactly where everything was, despite the seemingly random layout. “So, I take it that we’re eating here again?”

“Yes.” Asami sighed, dropping into her chair. “I’m sorry, Korbear, but today is just one of those days.” Korra flashed an understanding smile. Early on in their relationship, she’d learned that there were simply some days when Asami was absolutely swamped with work and wouldn’t be able to get away before closing time. The adjustment had difficult at first, since Korra had wanted the raven haired woman all to herself, but she’d eventually accepted that Asami had responsibilities as CEO of Future Industries that were just as important as her own Avatar-y duties.

“Honestly, ‘Sami, it’s fine.” She said, getting up and wrapping her arms around the other woman’s shoulders. Asami sighed as she kissed her on her cheek. “As long as I get to spend some time with my forever girl, I’ll be happy.” Asami leaned back into Korra’s chest, pressing her ruby red lips onto the Avatar’s bicep. They stayed that way for a long moment. Listening to the chorus of their combined breathing.

A sudden, urgent knocking broke their comfortable silence.

“I swear, I’m gonna pummel whoever that is into the ground.” Korra sighed, straightening up. Asami shot her an amused look, as she hurried to answer the door. Korra watched as her wife’s body stiffened slightly. “Asami, babe, who is it?” She asked, joining her wife and pulling the door open wider. Standing before them were: Mako and Bolin. As well as Chief Saikhan and Lin Beifong.

“Asami Sato?” Saikhan asked. Asami nodded, one hand clutching at her chest. “We need you to come down to the station with us.”

“For what?” Korra demanded, a sudden defensiveness flooding her. She positioned herself to be slightly between Asami and the officers, glaring at them each in turn. Lin returned the glare with one of her own. Saikhan looked immensely uncomfortable. Mako simply stared at Asami. And Bolin looked down at his uniform boots, refusing to meet either of his friends’ gazes.

“She’s a person of interest in an investigation.” Mako offered. “Please don’t make this any more awkward than it already is.” The pleasing tone in his voice caught Korra off guard. Mako simply wasn’t the kind of man who wore his emotions on his sleeve, so whatever was going on, it was clearly serious. She turned to Asami. The CEO looked far paler than normal, she clenched and unclenched her free hand.

“O-okay, I’ll go.” The raven haired woman muttered. She went back to her desk to retrieve her handbag.

“I’m coming.” Korra added immediately.

“That won’t be necessary.” Lin replied.

“I wasn’t asking.” The Avatar replied, coldly.

—

The ride to the police station was beyond awkward. Korra and Asami rode in the CEO’s personal roadster, though Mako had insisted on riding with them. The firebender refused to answer any questions and studiously ignored the glares sent his way by both women. To her credit, Asami was able to hide the massive amount of anxiety that had stirred up inside her since the moment she’d opened her office door to see the four police officers waiting outside. The sight brought up memories of her father’s arrest. She pushed those uncomfortable thoughts aside, as she pulled up and parked beside the Satomobile that Bolin, Saikhan and Lin had ridden in.

“Are you sure we have time for this?” Korra asked, as they got out of the roadster.

“Yes, Ming is more than capable of handling things in the meantime.” Asami answered. “Besides, this shouldn’t take more than an hour right Mako?” He glanced in her direction at the mention of his name, but didn’t reply. The firebender’s silence did nothing to settle Asami’s rapidly growing anxiety.

“Right this way.” Saikhan said, gesturing. To his credit, the Chief of Police was being genuinely polite. Though Asami’s highly logical mind told her that whatever happened must be serious indeed, if both the current and former Chiefs were involved. She glanced at Korra, but the younger woman’s face revealed nothing. Saikhan led them up two flights of stairs, through a room full of desks each of which had officers sitting working on paperwork, and into a small room. A metal table and four chairs were the only decorations.

“We couldn’t object to you accompanying your wife to the station,” Lin said, stopping Korra at the door, as Saikhan, Mako, Bolin and Asami went inside. “But you can’t go there with her.”

“But they can?” Asami heard Korra reply, before Mako shut the door. She sat in one chair, while Saikhan and Mako sat down across from her. Bolin stood in the corner of the room, arms folded over his chest, an uncomfortable look on his face.

“So why am I here?” She asked. The metal chair was just as uncomfortable as it looked. Mako produced a file folder she didn’t realize he had been holding, and began laying out photos on the table between them. “What are those-“ The rest of her sentence died in her throat, as she studied the photographs. Each one depicted a different person, some laying on their backs and others on their sides, all of whom were very clearly dead. “Spirits.”

“Let’s begin by asking where you were last night, Mrs. Sato.” Mako said coolly. Asami narrowed her eyes at him. Why would he call me that? She thought. Unless. She looked down at the photos again.

“You think that I had something to do with this?” Asami sighed, voicing her realization and leaning back in her chair. Saikhan and Mako shared a look. Bolin shuffled his feet slightly. She felt a pang of sympathy for the young earthbender, he clearly didn’t want to be here anymore than she did.

“Please answer the question.” Saikhan replied, using the same even tone that Mako had. Spirits, they really do think I did this! The thought made her heart drop into her stomach.

“I was at home,” she began. “Korra and I had just decided to file our paperwork to become foster parents and we were….celebrating.” The flushed looks that crossed their faces gave her a tiny feeling of victory. “Just go and ask Korra if you don’t believe me.”

“Right, because your wife wouldn’t lie for you.” Mako added, flipping one of the pages in the file he was holding.

“And just the hell is that supposed to mean?” Asami demanded. “How can you honestly think that I’d ever murder eight people? I have never killed anyone, in all the fights that I’ve been in. Have I hurt them? Yes. But I never went any farther than that.”

“That’s true.” Bolin muttered. She glanced up at him, before turning back to the men across from her, green eyes burning with rage.

“Because of this.” Mako slid a ninth photo towards her, which Asami picked up. This one was a close up of a person’s chest, which had her last name carved into the pale skin. She tasted bile in her mouth, and was suddenly thankful that she hadn’t eaten yet or her stomach would’ve surely emptied itself at that very moment.

“Fuck you, Mako.” Asami growled, her voice shaking with emotion. She tossed the photo at him. All three men looked at her in surprise. Asami Sato was never one to swear, unless she was under immense stress. “Fuck you, for even thinking that I’d do something like this. How fucking stupid do you think I am?” Mako glanced at Saikhan in confusion. “Do you honestly think that I’d kill eight people and then carve my own fucking name into one of them?” Asami knew that her outburst wasn’t helping, but she just couldn’t contain it anymore. Mako was one of the closest friends she’d ever had. How could he think she’d do this? “If you need more witnesses than my wife, who’s the Avatar I might add, then you can contact my household staff. I had a meeting with them this morning to announce our decision to adopt a child, and every one of them will confirm that. Otherwise, you can contact my legal team at Future Industries.”

Without saying another word, Asami surged to her feet, grabbed her bag and marched from the room. She was vaguely aware of voices calling her name, but she ignored them. She didn’t let the tears fall until she was outside the station and in the safety of her roadster once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this chapter, but I don’t like to post anything unless I’m sure that they’re as perfect as I can make them.


	3. Chapter Three: Deals Made In The Dark

As soon as Mako began to leave the interview room, something struck him: hard. He stumbled backwards into Saikhan and Bolin, and would’ve fallen if the earthbenders hadn’t caught him. A sudden, sharp pain rose in his jaw and he tasted blood in his mouth. He looked up to see Korra standing before the doorway, blue eyes burning with rage.

“What the fuck was that?” The Avatar growled. Mako opened his mouth to reply, but the pain in his jaw prevented it. He reached up to check that nothing was broken. “Lin just told me that there were obvious signs of earthbending at the scene. So please tell me where you get off accusing Asami, who’s a nonbender.”

“You told her that?” Saikhan asked, incredulously.

“Of course I did.” Lin scoffed. “We couldn’t tell Asami, because she’s a civilian. But, Korra’s the Avatar. It’s literally her responsibility to bring balance, and clearly you need all the help you can get Saikhan.” The former Chief of Police turned her attention to Mako next. “And as for you, I am beyond disappointed. I taught you better than that, Mako. What, did you think that I gave you a promotion so you could make random accusations?”

“I-I have to follow the due process of the law.” Mako said, finally getting his jaw to work properly. Spirits, I forgot how hard Korra hits. He thought. “Besides, we have no way of knowing how many killers there were at the scene. Or if Asami simply hired somebody to do the killings.” Korra drew back her fist again, and Mako flinched reflexively. But the blow never landed. He looked back up to see Lin holding the Avatar’s arm.

“Did it ever occur to you, that only four short years ago there was more than one Sato in Republic City?” Korra seethed. She shook off Lin’s grip, and turned to leave. “Just when I thought that you had actually changed, you go and pull another double cross like this. Asami said it best: fuck you, Mako.” The Avatar stormed away without another word.

“Well, you really stepped in it this time bro.” Bolin said, shaking his head sadly.

Several hours, and a visit to the station’s waterbender healing room, later and Sergeant-detective Mako was sitting at his desk once more. One hand was busy tapping at his police-issue typewriter, while the over cradled the spot Korra had struck. Despite the healers assuring him that it was perfectly healed, his jaw was still tender. In the back of his mind, he knew it was more of a psychological bruise than a physical one. He leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh. What the fuck did I do? He asked himself. Things between him, Korra and Asami had only just gotten back to where they were before. They’d finally considered him a friend again. But he’d just had to go and ruin it.

Despite the emotional turmoil that he had brought on himself, he knew that he’d done the right thing. Asami’s reaction was all the assurance he needed, in order to know without a doubt that she hadn’t been involved with the killings. Of course, that should’ve been obvious given the fact that she wasn’t a bender. But assumptions would get you killed in his line of work, he’d seen it happen before. He rubbed his eyes, before sitting up and returning to his report. Bolin entered the room just as Mako was pulling out the finished report.

“You still mad too?” Mako sighed, as he placed his report in a file and set it aside. Bolin sat in the chair across from his brother, looking uncomfortable. “What’s wrong?”

“Just trying to get those bodies out of my head.” He replied, rubbing his hands together. “That, and everything that happened earlier with Asami too.”

“I only did that because we had to clear her,” Mako explained. “And because I honestly didn’t even think of Hiroshi, until Korra mentioned it. And by that time, it was too late to do anything.”

“So you just accuse one of our closest friends based on a hunch?” Bolin shot back. Mako pinched the bridge of his nose.

“No, I did that in order to prove that she wasn’t involved.” He sighed. “Now, please can we just drop this and go home? It’s been a seriously long day.” Bolin shrugged, and got to his feet.

“Sure, but we’re swinging by Narook’s on the way.” The earthbender said, as they left the room. “Because, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving!” Mako laughed, as he closed and locked the door to his office.

—

Unnoticed by the bending brothers, a large man in a janitorial uniform stood nearby. He kept his scarred face lowered, as he busied himself with mopping the floor. As soon as the brothers had filed into the elevator, the janitor set aside his mop and approached Mako’s office door. With the help of metalbending, he manipulated the lock until it clicked open, and slipped inside. He produced a small flashlight from his pocket and clicked it on.

“Let’s see what you’ve got for me, Detective Mako.” He muttered to himself, as he began going through the desk drawers. He ignored a random collection of spare handcuffs, pens, paper and other nick-nacks and went straight to the file folders on the bottom drawer. Seating himself in the chair, he leafed through them quickly. “Ah, there you are.” He said, taking out the most recent file. Standing, he stuffed it into his uniform, then shut the drawers and left the office.

“Hey, you, what’re you doing?” An older male officer with a mostly bald head demanded, just as the janitor was locking the door with his bending. He looked the man up and down. The insignia on his metal armor marked him as the Chief of Police.

“Oh, uh, I was just looking for the can.” The janitor lied coolly.

“This your first time working here?” The Chief asked, gesturing to his uniform.

“Yeah, a friend of mine owns the company and called to ask me to fill in for one of his guys.” The janitor went back to where he’d his cart and started gathering his supplies. “I’m all done for the night, so I’m going to head out.” He felt the Chief’s eyes boring into him, as he headed to the elevator.

—

Lau Gan-Lan was a lot of things, but humble was not one of them. So his taste in a personal car made perfect sense: it was a beautiful sports car model Satomobile, painted bright green with his company logo on the sides and hood. And, yes, he drove a Satomobile because he knew exactly how cheaply his company built things, and thus knew better than to trust their designs. He sighed, as he sank into the plush leather seat. That Sato woman sure knew what she was doing. He thought, as he fired up the engine. The familiar voice of Shiro Shinobi came over the radio:

“No drive is as smooth as the drive, when you’re driving a Satomobile!” The radio announcer was saying. Lau smiled at the irony.

“Well, that’s one thing we can agree upon.” He said to himself, pressing down on the accelerator. The engine revved and he heard the tires squeal, but the car didn’t move. Frowning, he pressed on the pedal harder. An even louder noise came from the engine, but still no movement. He released the pedal and began to look around, suspecting some kind of sabotage. He froze, as his eyes caught a large silhouette approaching from deeper in the parking garage.

“Hello again, Mr. Gan-Lan.” An eerily familiar voice greeted him. Lau trembled visibly, as a scarred man with greying black hair stepped up next to his sports car. The man leaned down, placing his hands on the door. Lau stared at the gleaming metal of the man’s right hand. “So the owner of Cabbage Corp drives a Satomobile. Now isn’t that interesting?”

“I-it’s a smooth ride.” Lau mumbled, the Future Industries slogan popping into his mind for some reason. The scarred man chuckled.

“I’m sure it is.” He replied, glancing over his shoulder quickly. “I don’t have much time to chit chat tonight, so let’s just cut to the chase.”

“What is it you want now?” Lau complained. “I’ve already given you all the supplies you asked for, and let you have the run of one of my warehouses. What else could you possibly want?” The man’s hand, which had been reaching towards his leather jacket, froze and a dark look crossed his scarred face.

“Do I need to remind you of why you’re helping me in the first place, Mr. Gan-Lan?” He growled.

“N-no, please don’t hurt her!” Lau begged, unable to hide the panic in his voice. “Please, I’ll give you whatever else you want, just don’t hurt her.”

“Relax, I’m not going to ask for anything else.” The man replied, though the dark look remained as a warning. “In fact, I’m going to help you pull your company out of the hole you put it in.” His hand completed its journey and produced a file folder from behind the thick leather. Lau accepted it and flipped it open. His eyes widened as he read the contents.

“W-what do you want me to do with this?” Lau asked, looking back up at the scarred man.

“Give it to whatever reporter friends you still have.” The scarred man replied, as he straightened up. “And I had better see it on the front page by tomorrow morning, or your granddaughter’s boarding school will be the first place I pay a visit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t worry, not every chapter is going to be this short. But I don’t like packing too many plot twists into one chapter.


	4. Chapter Four: Early Morning Conversations

Asami was gone when Korra woke. She rolled over in bed, flinging her arm to her wife’s side of the bed. Instead of the warm body she’d been expecting, all she found was a cold mattress.

“A-Asami?” She mumbled, sitting up. The bedroom was still dark, as she got to her feet. A sudden breeze blew through the room, raising goosebumps on her nude body. “Asami?” Korra pulled on a robe and approached the doors leading to the balcony. Asami was sitting at the table, wrapped up in a spare blanket and sipping from a steaming mug.

“Oh, hey.” The raven haired woman said, as Korra settled into the other chair. “Did I wake you?” The Avatar shook her head, as she poured herself a mug of tea.

“No, I was just suddenly alone in bed is all.” Korra clutched the mug between her hands, reveling in the warmth. “What are you doing awake? And what time is it anyway?”

“Close to sunrise,” Asami chuckled. “And I’m awake because I just couldn’t turn off my mind anymore.” The CEO sipped from her tea, and stared out at the dark estate. Korra stayed silent as well. She knew from experience that if she pressed too hard, then Asami would clam up and never voice what she was feeling. “I’m just feeling guilty, I guess. I know that Mako was just doing his job, but…” Asami let her sentence trail off with a heavy sigh.

“But being brought in by the police for interrogation brought back memories of your father.” Korra finished, setting aside her mug and reaching over to clasp Asami’s knee.

“Exactly. Which is why I blew up at him.” The older woman sighed again, leaning back in her chair. “I shouldn’t have blamed him, but I couldn’t help it.”

“It can’t be as bad as what I did.” Korra said, grimacing. Asami turned to give her wife an inquisitive look.

“What did you do, Korbear?” She asked. Korra reached back to scratch her neck nervously.

“I, uh, might’ve punched him.” The Avatar replied, sheepishly. Asami’s mouth dropped open. “What? He literally made my wife cry right in front of me, and he wrongfully accused you of being a murderer.”

“True.” Asami shrugged. They slipped into a comfortable silence for a long moment. “You didn’t break anything, did you?”

“Besides his pride?” Korra laughed. The two women sat on the balcony until the sun rose, then headed inside to start getting ready for the day. As usual, Korra flipped on the radio for music while they bathed and got dressed. Asami sat down at her vanity to start “putting on her face” as she’d explained it to Korra. The radio suddenly changed from soft music to the familiar voice of Shiro Shinobi:

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen of Republic City!” The announcer began enthusiastically. “And what a beautiful morning it is, if I do say so myself! Well, until you pick up today’s newspaper, that is. Today’s headline is: Deja vu in the Capital. Turns out that none other than Future Industries CEO, Asami Sato was taken in by our own Republic City police for questioning. Yours truly can’t help but wonder if it had something to do with those murders in the Dragon Flats the other day.”

Both women looked at each other in shock. Asami broke the stunned silence: “Mako…”

—

Neither of them were really certain how it had started, only that it began two years ago when Ming Shu had first arrived in Republic City. She’d just started her job as Asami’s assistant and didn’t know many people beyond the ones related to the CEO. So, when she’d run into Mako on the street one day, she’d decided to take a chance and ask him to grab dinner with her sometime. They’d been on and off again ever since. At first, it had just been sex. But if Ming was honest with herself, she’d have to admit that her feelings for the detective ran deeper than just physical. She’d been attracted to him from the first time she’d met him, and was willing to spend as much time around him as she could manage.

So that was how she found herself in Mako’s bed that morning. The two had met up after work, as usual, and shared a quick dinner before moving things into the bedroom. Ming was the first to wake up, which was also the usual. She got out of bed and stretched her arms above her head, sighing as her joints popped. She glanced at the still sleeping man, before pulling on one of his button up shirts and heading to the bathroom.

“Oh, hey Ming.” Opal said, as the airbender stepped out of the bathroom. She wore a fluffy white robe and her hair was still damp from a shower. “I, uh, didn’t realize that you’d be here this morning.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t really a planned visit.” Ming replied, smiling. “Is Bolin in there too?” She added, gesturing towards the open door. The look on Opal’s face was all the answer that Ming needed. She turned her back quickly, and tried not to chuckle at the sound of footsteps behind her. “Morning Bo!”

“Morning Ming!” Bolin called back. A moment later, she heard his bedroom door shut. I’m gonna have to convince Mako to get his own place. Ming thought, as she went about her morning business. Once she had relieved herself and washed her face and teeth, she went downstairs to prepare a cup of coffee for herself and Mako. She passed a now fully dressed Opal and Bolin. The earthbender gave her a sheepish grin as he shuffled past her towards the stove. When she returned upstairs to the bedroom, Mako was awake and rubbing his eyes.

“Good morning, handsome!” Ming said cheerily, as she handed him a mug. He accepted it with a grunt. “Think I gave poor Opal a fright outside the bathroom though.” She added with a laugh.

“Yeah, she’s been staying over more lately.” Mako replied, between sips of coffee. “I keep telling Bolin to be careful, but he’s got it bad for her.” Ming watched him as she sipped at her own drink. Mako’s whole demeanor changed whenever he spoke about his younger brother. He became more unguarded and expressive with his emotions. She liked that side of him.

“So, how’re you feeling after what happened yesterday?” She asked carefully. Mako was like a frog-squirrel when it came to talking about his feelings. If you approached the subject too quickly, he’d lock it all down as a natural defense mechanism. The firebender let out a long sigh.

“Mostly? It’s just guilt.” He said eventually. “I don’t feel bad for questioning Asami, because that was the right thing to do. But I do regret the emotional distress it caused her. I can only imagine what being in that situation must’ve made her feel.”

“You do have to admit that it was a dick move on your end.” Ming replied. He shot her a confused look. “What? I’m not your girlfriend, it’s not my job to guide your moral compass. Plus, I don’t mince words, which you knew from the start.”

“So what is it you think that I should’ve done?” He asked.

“For one, I would’ve considered simply questioning her at Future Industries, instead of dragging her down to the station.” Ming continued, after downing the last of her coffee. “Then, I would’ve asked if she knew about any of her father’s former contacts who could’ve still held a grudge against him. Because, I’m willing to bet good money that’s why the killer carved Sato into the body.”

“You know about that?” Mako nearly shouted. She laughed.

“I’m Asami’s personal assistant, did you really think that she wouldn’t have mentioned it to me?” Ming set aside her empty mug and stood up. “Look, I’m going to be completely honest with you, and I want you to listen to what I have to say instead of getting irritated, understand?” Mako drained his mug and nodded.

“I think that you’re in the stage of your life, when you’re not sure where you want to go.” She began, keeping her tone level. “I know because I was there once myself. But, my mother raised me to be the kind of woman who knew just how to go out and get what she wanted. Because, that’s the only way to truly survive as a woman in the Northern Water Tribe, unless you’re okay with marrying the random man your father picks out for you.”

“I knew that I didn’t want to live under my father’s tyranny any longer, so I saved up my allowance and paid for passage on the first ship leaving the North.” Ming continued, as she stood before Mako. “Eventually, I found myself here in Republic City and now look at me! I get to work for the youngest female CEO in the world, for crying out loud! Growing up, I was taught that women were only good for reproduction and home-making, and that’s all.”

“That’s an awesome story, but what does it have to do with me?” Mako sighed, but his gold eyes sparkled with sympathy. She leaned down, placing her hands on his shoulders.

“Mako, you just need to think about what you want out of life,” She explained carefully. “Then you just gotta get out there and get it.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Now, I’ve got just enough time for us to pick up where we left off last night, before I have to leave for work.” She let his shirt slide off her naked body, and straddled his lap. He leaned up to kiss her hungrily. A sudden commotion downstairs interrupted their plans, however.

“Korra! Asami! What are you guys doing here?” Bolin’s voice echoed up from the living room. His words were followed by rapid footsteps coming up the stairs and down the hall towards their room. Ming had just enough time to slip Mako’s shirt back on, before the door was kicked in by the Avatar.

“Korra, what the fuck!” Mako cursed, covering himself with a pillow. Korra and Asami barged into the bedroom, both looking equally irritated. Neither woman seemed to notice his state of undress, or Ming who was standing awkwardly in the corner.

“I should be the one asking that.” Asami grunted. “How could you?”

“How could I, what?” Mako demanded. His face was as red as a tomato. The CEO tossed a newspaper at him, which he caught, carefully holding the pillow in place with the other hand. His face paled, as he read the front page. “Well, shit. Asami, I swear, I had nothing to do with this.” He looked up at her with pain in his golden eyes. “I would never bad mouth you to the press, you know that.”

“Then who did?” Korra asked.

“Maybe there’s a leak in the police force.” Ming offered. She blushed, as the two women finally turned in her direction. Asami’s pale face flushed. Korra simply wore a smug look. “Morning, boss.” Ming offering, giving a mock salute.

—

On the opposite side of Republic City, a solitary figure began to stir in his makeshift bed. He rolled onto his side, before pushing himself up with a groan. The stack of cardboard boxes which served as his bed was located on the second floor of an industrial warehouse. The building itself was mostly empty, except for stacks upon stacks of wooden crates that lined the first floor. The man sighed, as he stared down at the stump of his right arm. Thick burn scars covered what was left of the limb, which was missing the forearm just below the elbow.

He’d had that dream again. The one where everything was back to the way it was eight years ago, before bombs fell on the City. Back when everyone he loved most in the world was still alive. Using his metalbending, he pulled on the metallic gauntlet that had replaced his missing appendage, securing the leather straps with the opposite hand. A soft meowing sound came from the window, as he stood up and stumbled towards the bathroom.

“Hold on, Little Bastard.” He muttered. The tiny bathroom had only a small sink and toilet, with a round window that looked down at Republic City’s docks. A large cat-owl sat just outside the window. It had dark brown feathers, and bright orange eyes. “Come on in, then.” The man muttered, opening the window. The cat-owl hopped inside. It meowed in annoyance, shaking rainwater from its feathers. “Morning to you too, Little Bastard.” He used his bending to force the rusty faucet handle to move, and splashed ice-cold water in his face.

His heavily scarred reflection stared back at him from the small, grime-covered mirror. The burn scarring started on his face, and traveled down his neck to his chest and stomach. The worst was concentrated on his right arm. While it had been healed years ago, not even water healing could improve the appearance of the scar tissue. His grey eyes turned from his reflection to the single nicest item in the entire warehouse: an old photograph that hung next to the mirror in a metal frame. He took it off the hook it hung on, and stared at it, as he sunk to the bathroom floor.

“I miss you.” He mumbled. Staring up at him were four figures: an adult woman and three nearly-identical looking children. The woman was pure Fire Nation, while the children had Earth Kingdom descent mixed in. The children had the woman’s brown hair, but grey eyes similar to his own. He pressed a kiss to the picture, then closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. He was vaguely aware of flapping wings, as Little Bastard joined him on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, obviously this one is pure fluff, with a small plot twist thrown in as well. Like I mentioned before, I don’t know how long this story is going to be yet. So don’t be surprised if there’s more fluff chapters in the future.
> 
> Also feel free to comment your theories on the plot so far, I’m curious to see what you think is gonna happen next.


	5. Chapter Five: A Gathering Storm

When Bolin and Mako arrived at the station later that day, absolute pandemonium awaited them. Reporters mingled with angry protesters outside the station, all of whom were demanding answers. Nearly two dozen junior officers and half as many of their more experienced comrades kept the crowd at the foot of the steps, well away from the main entrance to the station. Bolin lowered his shoulder and pushed his way through the crowd, his older brother following close behind.

“Detective Bolin, and Sergeant-Detective Mako.” The earthbender told the nearest officer, who nodded and lifted a metal barrier to allow them past. The mob reminded Bolin of the desperate people he’d seen all over the Earth Kingdom during his time serving in Kuvira’s army. He frowned, pausing halfway up the steps.

“You good, bro?” Mako asked. The firebender was holding open the door, and giving him a worried look.

“I’m fine, just lost in my thoughts.” Bolin answered, heading inside at a brisk pace. Inside the station was nearly as busy as the outside. Officers rushed to and fro, phones rang incessantly, and somebody was shouting from somewhere deeper inside the building. The sound soon became more clear, as the bending brothers reached the second floor. It was coming from Chief Saikhan’s office. The door flew open, just as they were heading towards Mako’s office, and Lin Beifong’s furious face poked out.

“You two, in here, now!” The former chief shouted. The brothers shared a look, before following Lin into the Chief’s office. “I trust that you all read the newspaper this morning?” Beifong asked, once Mako had shut the door.

“It may have been thrown at me.” Mako replied, flushing slightly. Bolin bit back a laugh.

“Good, then you’ll understand that as of right now these murders are your number one priority.” Chief Saikhan sighed. He seemed to be feeling his age today, if the bags under his eyes were anything to go by. Bolin thought. “I can already hear Future Industries’ army of lawyers chomping at the bit to sue us for slander.”

“Relax, Saikhan, Asami Sato is a lot of things,” Lin smirked. “But vengeful isn’t one of them. If anybody can navigate their way through the storm that is the court of public opinion, it’s her. Our real problem is from our own government. As of right now, President Moon has assigned an official representative to oversee this case.”

“Which I’m going to assume is you?” Bolin finished. Lin nodded. He sighed, rubbing his hands together thoughtfully. Well that explained why the former Chief of Police had been so interested in the murders. If the rumors were true, then Lin Beifong had offered her services to Zhu Li once she had been forced into mandatory retirement by the City Council, which was headed by former President Raiko.

“Okay, so this is how we’re going to handle things,” Saikhan began, standing up from his chair. “Mako, you’re going to have to take a step back after the whole fiasco that happened with Asami’s interview. So, Bolin, you’re officially the lead on this. You’ll still be able to go to Mako or myself for assistance, however.” Bolin gulped. He hadn’t had that kind of responsibility since Kuvira.

“Why am I being benched?” Mako demanded. The firebender looked to be struggling to contain his temper.

“Because, after this morning’s headline dropped, we did a mandatory search through every scrap of paperwork in this building.” Lin explained, sighing. “And the report you made detailing Asami’s interview was the only one unaccounted for.”

“That’s impossible, I left it on my desk!” Mako said, incredulously. “Which is in a locked room.” Bolin noticed that Chief Saikhan stiffened slightly at his brother’s words.

“What’s wrong, chief?” He asked. The older man sank back into his chair, running a hand through his thinning hair.

“The janitor.” The Chief breathed. “My gut said that something was off about him, but I didn’t want to believe it.” The other officers stared at him in confusion. “I spotted him outside your office last night, Mako. But he made some excuse about getting lost because he hadn’t been here before, and I bought it.”

“Do you still remember what he looked like?” Lin asked. Saikhan nodded. “Good, then I’ll wrangle up a sketch artist so we can have something to show the press that’ll help take some of the heat off of Asami. In the meantime, I expect you all to continue as if it’s business as usual. Mako, the coroner is waiting for someone to join her in the morgue, so since you’re technically benched for now, you can handle that. Bolin, try and put some names to our victims.”

“And I’ll head outside to do some damage control with the press.” Saikhan finished. “It’ll be best if you’re there too, Lin. The City still trusts you even if you’re not the Chief of Police anymore.” She nodded curtly.

—

The Republic City Coroner’s Office was located in the basement of Police Headquarters. It was the only part of the building that hadn’t needed to be rebuilt after Kuvira’s attack. And it was still the only part of the building that Mako absolutely hated having to visit. He didn’t know exactly what unnerved him so much about it, though. Maybe it was because it was underground? He had always had a difficult time with that. Or maybe it was simply because of the fact that the Morgue was a place for the dead, and that made him feel like he was somehow intruding on their rest.

“Spirits, come on man.” He muttered to himself, as he walked down the narrow hallway that led to the elevator. “Just keep it together. You’re a professional.” The firebender took a deep, steadying breath before pushing open the swinging doors to the Morgue.

“Ah, my favorite detective.” Dr. Lee said sarcastically. The Coroner was a fifty year old woman of Fire Nation descent, with greying black hair and brown eyes. “I’ve got a bucket with your name on it, if you start feeling sick again.”

“That was one time.” Mako replied with a sigh. It was during his first murder case as a detective, and he’d lost his lunch upon witnessing an autopsy for the first time. Luckily, he’d missed the body, or he might’ve ruined Dr. Lee’s findings, and possibly angered the victim’s spirit.

“Right, just try and hold it in,” Dr. Lee chuckled. “Because we’ve a lot of things to cover this time.” Mako put a plastic apron on over his uniform and covered his hands with rubber gloves. Dr. Lee wore a similar outfit, only with a pair of goggles protecting her eyes. “Luckily for you, I’ve been working late to try and get through most of the corpses quickly. I started with the ones who had the worst injuries.” As she spoke, Dr. Lee pulled open three small doors that were built into the far wall. Three stretchers rolled out on squeaking wheels. Two men and a woman.

“The woman’s cause of death is pretty obvious,” Dr. Lee began. “Massive trauma to the facial region, which forced bone shards into her brain. Death would’ve been almost instantaneous. It’s a similar story for him.” She continued, moving to the first male body. Mako recognized it as the one who’d been full of glass shards. “The glass not only pierced his skin, but shattered against his ribcage and effortlessly shredded his internal organs. If the shock didn’t kill him, the blood loss definitely did.”

“This one was a little more challenging.” Dr. Lee said, as she stopped at the final corpse. Mako identified it as the man Bolin had spotted crumpled before a desk. “If I didn’t have the photographs of the scene, I would’ve said that he’d been trampled by an elephant-rhino. But, honestly all I can say is that he was killed by hitting the desk with tremendous force. So, whoever your killer is, I’d bet good money that he or she is strong.”

“Just strong?” Mako asked, looking up from his notebook. He’d been cataloging everything Dr. Lee had said about the bodies so far. “That’s not much to go on.”

“I’m aware, and I was hoping that the other autopsies would provide more information. But the other men all had obvious causes of death, and cracking them open didn’t provide anything helpful.” Dr. Lee answered. “However, I did find something interesting in the woman’s body. She had seven metal shavings embedded in the tissue of her face.” As she spoke, Dr. Lee led him to a nearby table where several evidence bags were laying. Each had been meticulously organized and labeled. She picked up one that read: ‘Female Victim’ and handed it to Mako.

“Do you know what type of metal it is?” He asked.

“You’ll have to ask the metal whisperers in the lab for that answer.” She shrugged. The Metal Whisperers were metalbenders specifically trained to use their bending to identify the different types of metals found at crime scenes, no matter how small the samples may be. “Now, I was just going to crack open the last of the corpses, if you’d like to stay and help review my findings.” Mako pushed down the bile rising in his throat, and nodded.

—

Identifying the victims was proving to be harder than Bolin had expected. He’d started with the usual: going through the large collection of criminal mugshots that each officer was expected to update upon making a new arrest. But after an hour with no new developments, he quickly gave up on that approach.

“Alright, so they’re not the common type of criminal.” He muttered to himself, glaring down at the thick book of mugshots, as if demanding it to offer up its own explanation for his failed search. In the back of his mind, he could still see the faces of each body as they’d been collected by the coroner’s team. Lavabending wasn’t Bolin’s only hidden talent, he had a knack for never forgetting a face and at least three of the eight victims had looked particularly familiar to him.

He picked up the four, thick mugshot books and carried them back to the Records Room. As he put them back in their proper places, he began to scan over the other mugshot books on the shelf.

“They can’t be Triads, because there weren’t signs of bending besides earth.” He sighed. “But then again, waterbending doesn’t leave much evidence behind. And I doubt there’s any airbenders in the Triads, at least not yet.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and glanced further down the shelf. His pale green eyes settled on a mugshot book that was set apart from the others. It read: ‘Equalists Part I’ on the spine in bold lettering. A sudden idea popped into his head, and he gathered up each mugshot book that was labeled as Equalist related, and went back to his desk.

He slammed the new books onto his desktop and dropped into the chair. There were only three in this group, but they were just as thick as the other ones had been. Spirits, please just let me find something helpful. He thought, opening the book labeled ‘Equalists Part III’ and beginning to look through it. Bolin paused as soon as he opened the book, frowning. Hiroshi Sato’s familiar profile stared up at him from the first page. The inventor had the same, pudgy face from the first time Bolin had met him. Except for the look of barely contained rage that he was giving the camera, Bolin might’ve mistaken it for a photo in Asami’s mansion.

“I know that she forgave you and that, at the end, you’re the only reason we were able to beat Kuvira.” The earthbender said quietly, a familiar feeling of hatred rising in his chest. “But I’ll never forgive you for what you did to Asami. She deserved the whole world, and all you gave her was betrayal and heartache.” One of the other officers in the room gave him a sideways look, but he was too lost in his memories to notice.

He quickly flipped to the next page and resumed his search, blinking away the tears stinging his eyes. Ever since his time in Kuvira’s army, he’d had a more difficult time expressing himself as much as he once had. He’d gotten much better at disguising his thoughts from others, except for Opal and Mako. Bolin pushed away his wandering thoughts, and forced himself on the work before him. An hour past, and he was halfway through the second book, before he finally stumbled upon a face that looked familiar.

It was of a thin man, with pale blue eyes and lightly colored skin. But it was the man’s mouth that stood out the most, specifically his facial hair. The man had twin long mustaches that framed his thin-lipped frown.

“Where have I seen that style of facial hair before?” He asked himself, turning to dig through his desk drawers. He pulled out the crime scene photos and started flipping through them. “There you are!” He declared, finding the one he wanted. He placed it next to the mugshot in the book, and narrowed his eyes slightly. Sure enough, both photos were of the same man, right down to his twin mustaches. A twinge of excitement crawled up his spine, and he buried himself into the search with renewed vigor. Sure enough, he found matching mugshots for each murder victim. “They were Equalists.” He sighed, leaning back into his chair and lacing his fingers behind his head. He allowed himself another moment to celebrate his victory, before gathering up his findings and getting up to look for Saikhan and Lin.

—

A small podium had been set up just outside the main entrance to the Republic City Police Headquarters. Chief Saikhan, Lin Beifong, Mako, Bolin and several other high ranking officers were gathered just behind the improvised stage. Before the steps was a group of reporters, each representing one of Republic City’s newspapers. A few were even from the other Nations. Chief Saikhan stood at the podium, with Bolin at his left. The Chief of Police cleared his throat, signaling the gathered reporters to quiet down.

“Hello, and thank you all for coming.” Saikhan began. “First of all, I’d like to address this morning's headlines as being nothing more than pure speculation.”

“So, Asami Sato wasn’t brought in for questioning?” One reporter shouted.

“She was at the station, but she wasn’t a person of interest in a crime.” Saikhan explained, sidestepping the question while still telling part of the truth. “However, I am pleased to announce that the lead detective on the case has produced new leads, and I will now hand over this interview to him.” Saikhan stepped aside and allowed Bolin to step up to the podium.

“Good evening, I’m Detective Bolin and I am the lead on this case.” The earthbender began. “Many of you probably recognize me from my Nuktuk movers and as a member of Team Avatar. But I can assure you all, that I was selected to investigate these murders because of my talents as a detective.”

“Did your mover career inspire you to become a police officer?” A female reporter asked. He recognized her as the owner of a popular tabloid magazine called: Republic City Heat. She had a well-known reputation for taking people’s words and twisting them into something completely different.

“Now, as Chief Saikhan has already mentioned, I do have good news for you all,” Bolin continued, ignoring the obvious bait. “This sketch has been made of our suspect, provided by an anonymous source.” He held up the sketch. “Each of you will be given a copy after the conference has ended, so please make sure to put them on the front page by tomorrow morning, along with the number for the Station’s tip line. We also believe that the killer may be targeting former Equalists, though we cannot release any other details as of this time. Thank you all for coming, and have a wonderful evening.”

Several of the reporters began shouting questions as Bolin and the other officers turned to head inside. Meanwhile, junior officers and recruits passed out the copies of Saikhan’s witness sketch and tip line number, ignoring the barrage of inquiries sent their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this one was more Bolin and Mako heavy. But I needed to show the police side of things for a change.
> 
> Also, I always pictured Bolin as someone who likes thinking out loud. Plus he just doesn’t get enough love, in my opinion.


	6. Chapter Six: Things Better Left Unsaid

Buttercup Raiko had only just stepped into the spacious entryway of her townhome when she heard the familiar sound of a phone ringing. She still wore the glittering green dress she’d bought specifically for the fundraiser she’d just come back from. “Sweetie, are you home?” Calling out for her husband. No reply came. He’s probably at the bar again. She thought, sighing. Ever since he’d lost the presidential election, Mr. Raiko had spent less and less time at home, and more time at one his favorite bars in the City.

Buttercup slipped off her heels, her feet silently thanking her for the relief, and followed the ringing sound to its source. It was coming from her home office on the first floor. She stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. A large mahogany desk sat in the center of the room, with several stacks of neatly organized paperwork and a single phone sitting atop it. Curiously, the desk phone was silent however. Frowning, she turned to the only other furniture in the room: a large red oak hutch. It had been a wedding gift from her parents, though her husband had complained that it was ‘too ugly’ for their new lifestyle as political leaders, she’d kept it because it reminded her of home.

She pulled open the doors and stared down at the phone that was hidden inside. She hadn’t heard it ring in eight years. Frowning, Buttercup picked up the receiver.

“I don’t know who you are, or what you want,” She said firmly. “But you should not have this number.”

“We need to meet.” A familiar female voice replied. Her frown deepened.

“I told you never to contact me directly, it’s not safe.” She growled.

“The Lieutenant is dead.” The voice shot back. She nearly dropped the receiver in shock. “None of us are safe anymore.”

“What? How?” She demanded.

“He was one of the victims from the Dragon Flats murders.” The voice explained. “Trust me, it wasn’t pretty.”

“Very well.” Buttercup sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Contact the others, and I mean everyone. Tell them we’re going to meet in our usual place tomorrow night. And by the spirits, be careful. If someone was actually capable of taking out The Lieutenant, then any of us could be next.” She hung up the phone without another word, slamming the hutch doors shut.

—

“Hey, babe, did you see this?” Korra said, as she burst into Asami’s office Friday morning. Asami jumped, nearly falling from her chair. The CEO had been buried in the latest version of the Water Tribe Trade Deal, and hadn’t noticed much else.

“Spirits, Korbear, you almost gave me a heart attack!” She gasped. The Avatar seated herself on the edge of Asami’s desk, smirking. “Sorry, baby, I guess that I’ve been so busy with the Trade Deal that I just wasn’t paying attention.”

“How’s that going by the way?” Korra asked, flashing a sympathetic smile. Asami let out a deep sigh. “That bad, huh?”

“Now the Northern representatives won’t come back to the table until the South sends replacement representatives.” The raven haired woman explained dryly.

“I’ll try contacting my dad and cousins again,” Korra offered. “See if there’s some way to get them back in line.”

“I would very much appreciate that!” Asami chuckled. “I’ve tried it my way, but clearly polite arm twisting has no effect on a centuries-old rivalry.” Korra laughed, shaking her head slightly. “So, what exactly were you going to show me?” The Avatar produced a newspaper from under her parka, it had finally gotten cold enough in Republic City to warrant the extra clothing, holding it out to her wife. The headline read: Dragon Flats Butcher, Fact or Coverup?

“Yesterday evening, the Republic City’s finest released a statement that both confirmed and denied the rumors surrounding the gruesome murders in the Dragon Flats on Monday night.” Asami read out loud. “Detective Bolin, better known as Nuktuk or the lavabending member of Team Avatar, is working as the lead investigator for the case. The young officer stated that he believes that Butcher is going after former Equalists-“

“I’m sorry, is there a good part to this?” The CEO sighed, lowering the paper.

“Skip to the second paragraph.” Korra insisted. Asami rolled her eyes, but continued reading.

“Chief of Police Saikhan also announced that Asami Sato, the CEO of Future Industries, was not a person of interest in the crime but had simply been at the station by coincidence.”

“See?” Korra said with a smug grin. “That’s good news right?”

“Of course it is, but I’m worried that it might not make a difference.” Asami replied, tossing the newspaper to an open corner of her desktop. “I mean, if a random orphanage director still thinks that I’m Equalist, then who knows how many other people do as well?” Korra moved to stand behind Asami, leaning down to wrap her arms around the CEO’s neck.

“It’ll be okay, ‘Sami.” The Avatar said softly, placing a kiss on her wife’s cheek. Asami leaned into her wife’s embrace with a sigh. “No matter what happens, we’ll handle it together.”

“Because we’re a team?” Asami replied, smirking.

“Exactly.” Korra straightened up. “Unfortunately, I have to leave because of Avatar-y business with Tenzin.” Asami stood up and hugged her tightly.

“Thank you, for stopping by and bringing that paper.” She said, stealing a quick kiss before releasing Korra. “It actually helped.”

“I love you, babe,” Korra said, as Asami walked her to the office door and opened it. The buzz of Future Industries Tower flowed into the CEO’s office. Korra leaned up to kiss her wife one last time, before giving a mock salute and walking away. “I’ll catch you later, beautiful!”

“I love you too, you dork!” Asami called after her, uncaring who would overhear. Several people leaned out of their offices to see what the disturbance was, but Asami didn’t even notice them, her gaze completely fixated on the Avatar’s back as she sauntered towards the elevator.

“But I’m your dork!” Came the Avatar’s reply, just as the elevator doors closed. Asami leaned against the doorframe, smiling like a fool. A soft giggle brought her back to reality. Ming was still at her desk, not even trying to hide the shit eating grin on her face. A sudden idea popped into the CEO’s head.

“Hey, Ming, do you happen to know which paper printed that story about me?” Asami asked. “You know, the one about my interrogation by the police.” She clarified, after seeing the look of confusion on the assistant’s face.

“Even better, I know who the reporter who wrote that story is.” Ming replied, still smirking.

“Good.” Asami smiled. “Try and get in touch with them, would you please? I’m curious what it would cost for them to give up their source.” Ming nodded and picked up her desk phone. Asami pwatched her for a moment, before turning back into her office.

—

The underground beneath Republic City were a maze of nearly identical tunnels that ran for miles. One could easily get lost in them, if they didn’t know how to get around. Luckily, the scarred man who the papers had so lovingly dubbed The Dragon Flats Butcher, knew where he was going. He followed the sound of laughter and the smell of freshly cooking food, until he reached a particularly large chamber. It was an intersection between a half dozen tunnels.

All around him, the hobos of Republic City moved to and fro. Some were gathered around barrel fires, chatting with each other, while others were gathered around a circular sitting area laughing and singing raucous songs. The Butcher took a moment to observe the jovial hobos from afar, before making his way towards one of the cook fires. The familiar figure of Gommu was standing over a large pot, stirring it while conversing with several other hobos.

“Good afternoon, Gommu.” The Butcher said, as he stepped up beside the older man. The other hobos eyed him wearily, before backing away with their bowls of soup.

“Ah, I was hoping that you’d be by again!” Gommu laughed, smiling broadly. “Back for some more of my famous street gruel?” The hobo asked, offering up a bowl. The Butcher accepted it, and seated himself on a wooden crate.

“So why’d your friends take off the moment I showed up?” He asked, between bites of the thin soup. For something made from trash, Gommu had managed to create a truly delicious meal. The hobo turned and picked up a newspaper from his seat.

“Probably because you’re famous now, friend.” He said, handing it over. The Butcher stared down at a rather accurate sketch of his own, burn scarred face. He frowned deeply. “Look, I’m not one to judge, but if you’re really what they say you are. Then it would probably be best if you didn’t come by anymore. It’s just not safe.”

“Right, I understand.” The Butcher replied, coldly. “I’ll just finish eating and then be on my way.” He finished off the last of his soup, before giving back the bowl to Gommu and standing up to leave. “My thanks for your hospitality, Gommu. It was much appreciated.” The hobo shook the Butcher’s hand, before the scarred man started walking down the tunnel he’d come from. He had been walking for several long moments, when his seismic sense altered him to footsteps coming from further down the tunnel behind him.

The Butcher continued walking, assuming at first that it was just another hobo going about their business. That is, until he turned down a side passageway that led back to the Butcher’s hideout, the footsteps still following a few feet behind. The passageway came to an abrupt end. A metal ladder was built into the stone wall, leading up to a circular opening. The Butcher stopped just before the ladder, lacing his fingers behind his back and sighing.

“I really don’t like being followed.” He said, raising his left foot and slamming it back down. A soft grunt sounded behind him, as his stalker was captured up to their knees in an earthen prison. The Butcher turned slowly, grey eyes narrowing. A black haired woman stared back at him. She looked to be in her twenties, and was  
wearing a dark outfit to help blend with the shadows. “Who are you? And why were you following me?” He asked, bending down so that their eyes were level.

“Did you really think that you could just kill us and we wouldn’t do anything about it?” The woman replied.

“You’re an Equalist?” The Butcher laughed. “Aren’t you a bit young?”

“And you’re a murder!” She growled, spitting in his face. He straightened up with a sigh, wiping the offending liquid off with a hand.

“My dear, I’m your worst nightmare.” The Butcher corrected, raising a fist. The last thing she saw was a set of metal knuckles flying towards her face, before everything went black.

—

Mako had just put away the last of his paperwork in his desk drawer, sighing gratefully. Today’s shift had been particularly long. Who would’ve thought that being forced to sit on the sidelines could be so boring? He thought. Now that he wasn’t allowed to actually investigate the case anymore, he’d been practically buried beneath a mountain of paperwork from Saikhan and Lin.

“Yo, Bolin, you ready to head out?” Mako called, as he stepped out of his office and shut the door.

“Definitely!” His younger brother replied, yawning loudly. The earthbender had spent the day trying and failing to track down former Equalists to question. The bending brothers had been shocked to discover that the Equalists had all been released from prison after Kuvira’s defeat. The Republic City police simply didn’t have enough places to put all of Kuvira’s troops, and had been forced to let out the less violent criminals to make room. But, after their release, the Equalists had vanished into thin air it seemed. “Just let me finish up this last report, then I’ll be good to go.”

Mako nodded, dropping into the chair beside his brother's desk. The sound of someone clearing their throat made them look up. A middle aged man, with slicked back black hair and brown eyes was standing a few feet away. He was wearing a faded brown suit, a matching bowler hat clutched in his hands.

“My apologies, but the receptionist said that I was supposed to find the Fire Ferrets?” The man said.

“Well, you’ve found them.” Mako said, forcing what he hoped was a convincing smile. “I’m Sergeant-Detective Mako, and that’s my brother Detective Bolin. What did you need?”

“Well uh, I’m not really sure how to say this,” The man replied, looking down at his hat. “But, I think that my brother-in-law is the so-called Dragon Flats Butcher.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this one, real life got a little busy this weekend. Plus, I wanted another chapter to show my killer’s human side before we get back to his murderous plan.


	7. Chapter Seven: Revelations and Communications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: description of torture.

“Wait, what?” Mako asked, dumbly. Bolin’s mouth opened and shut several times. The man’s simple revelation had stupefied the bending brothers.

“Oh, my apologies, I should introduce myself!” The man said, hurriedly. “I’m Lee Fire.” He held out a hand, which Bolin and Mako shook after hesitating slightly. “I would’ve come sooner, but my shift at the power plant ran longer than it usually does. Though, to be honest, I didn’t really want to come. If it wasn’t for my wife’s constant insistence, I probably wouldn’t have.”

“Please, have a seat Mr. Fire!” Bolin said, gesturing to a chair. Lee nodded in appreciation, and sat, still clutching his bowler hat.

“I ain’t gonna lie, fellas, I’m quite nervous being here.” He sighed, his left foot tapping the floor. “Not that I’ve done anything illegal, of course, but I’m sure that you can understand.”

“Trust me, you’re not the first one to be anxious about meeting with the police.” Mako said, flashing his most reassuring smile. “Especially if they’re reporting something about their family or friends.” Lee nodded slowly, twisting his hat around in his hands.

“Take your time,” Bolin added, gently. “There’s no rush.” Mako took out his notepad and pen, as Lee leaned back in his chair with a look of determination on his face.

“Okay, I appreciate the patience because this isn’t easy for me to share.” Lee began. “I met him, geewiz it must’ve been over twenty years ago by now!”

“Met who?” Mako asked.

“Oh, right! I almost forgot: my brother-in-law, his name is Stone Feng.” Lee continued, laughing dryly. “I don’t know much about his past, except that he grew up in one of the sandbender villages in the Si Wong Desert. But, my older sister, Mai Fire, didn’t meet him until they were both in the United Forces together. From what she told me, they were sent to clear out some bandits that had set up home in the Eastern Air Temple.”

“Right, I heard about that from Tenzin.” Bolin replied. “Apparently they were a pretty nasty bunch, but he couldn’t handle it himself since Avatar Aang had died not long before that.”

“Exactly, so the United Forces were sent in instead.” Lee explained. “She didn’t like to talk about what happened in the Temple, but just said that she’d ended up meeting a man she really cared for. A couple of years later, they were married and coming to live in Republic City with our family again. It wasn’t long before we found out that Mai was pregnant.”

“So, how long did they live with your family?” Mako asked.

“About a year, before they could get their own place.” Lee answered. “You see, Stone got a job with RCPD, and he worked there for nearly ten years without any issues.” He paused thoughtfully. “I think he was a trainer, maybe? I don’t really remember to be honest.” He paused again, a sorrowful expression on his face. “But, everything changed when the Equalists attacked. I don’t know all the details, but from what Stone told me a bomb had fallen through the roof of their apartment. It didn’t blow up at first, it wasn’t until he tried to pull Mai and the kids away from it that it finally went off-” Lee’s voice trailed off, and he bit back a sob.

“It’s okay, I’ll get you something to drink.” Mako said, getting up for a moment to retrieve a glass of water for the man. Lee accepted it with a small smile, and chugged it in two gulps.

“Thanks, though I wish it was something stronger.” He laughed bitterly.

“We can take a break, if you’d like.” Bolin suggested.

“No, that’s very kind of you to offer,” Lee replied, shaking his head. “But, if I don’t say this now, I doubt I ever will. Mai and my nephews all died instantly, but Stone somehow lived. I always knew he was a tough bastard, but I’ll never understand how he could’ve survived that. But he did. He lost his right hand and was burned over most of his body, but he lived. His neighbors and I pulled him out of the rubble, but we were captured by Equalists and taken to Amon.” Lee paused once more to glare down at his hat. “That masked lunatic took our bending. Spirits, he even took Stone’s bending, and he was barely even alive at the time! Why would he even do something like that?”

“I honestly don’t know.” Mako replied, looking up from the notes he’d been taking. If what Lee is saying is true, and Stone’s family was really killed by an Equalist bomb, then that could explain the murders. The firebender thought. A glance at Bolin told him that his brother was thinking similarly.

“Anyway, it took him a year, but eventually Stone was strong enough to walk again.” Lee continued. “He then went to Avatar Korra to get his bending back. And after that he seemed almost normal. Sure, he’d say some really dark stuff sometimes, but other than that he seemed fine. But then, he just up and disappeared.”

“When did that happen?” Bolin questioned, looking up from his own notes. Lee scratched the back of his head.

“About five years ago? Maybe four?” He sighed. “I’m not sure of the exact date, because I got a promotion at the power plant at the same time and I’ve been busy ever since.”

“So, he’s been on his own for four or five years?” Mako replied. Lee nodded. “And you mentioned that he’d say some dark things. Do you happen to remember what those were?”

“He’d just randomly go off on rants about Equalists.” Lee answered, with a sigh. “I don’t really feel comfortable with repeating what he said though, if you don’t mind.”

“That’s perfectly fine, Mr. Fire.” Bolin said, smiling reassuringly. “I think we can fill in the blanks ourselves. Thank you so much for coming in, and you can leave once we get your contact information.”

“Sure thing, officers.” Lee replied, standing up. “Just promise me something?” The bending brothers shared a look, then nodded for him to continue. “If you can save him, please do. I know that he’s killed a lot of people, but he’s still family, you know? We may not be blood, but he’s like a brother to me.”

“Believe me, Mr. Fire, we understand.” Mako answered.

—

“Settle down, Little Bastard, it’s almost done.” Stone Feng scolded the cat-owl. Little Bastard was perched in the warehouse rafters, making annoyed meows as he worked. He’d managed to catch a couple of fish from the river using his metal bending, and was currently cooking them over a small fire. “Besides, you hunt for your own food all the time. So don’t even try to trick me into sharing with you.”

The cat-owl gave a small hoot in reply, ruffling its feathers. Stone shook his head slightly, smirking. Little Bastard had been trapped in the warehouse when he had first arrived. The cat-owl’s wing had been broken by one of Lau Gan-Lan’s workers, and left to die. But Stone had been able to fix the break, and nurse the creature back to health. Now, Little Bastard stayed near him, despite the fact that the cat-owl seemed to hate all other humans. Stone put the finishing touches on his meager meal, before sitting down to eat. Little Bastard glided down from its perch and settled near him, large eyes watching his every move intently. Sighing, Stone tore off a piece of fish and tossed it to the cat-owl, who gobbled it up greedily.

“Well, guess we’d better go see if our house guest is feeling chatty.” Stone grumbled, rising to his feet after finishing off his breakfast. Little Bastard flew up and landed on his left shoulder, nuzzling his neck and purring. Stone picked up a bucket of water, as he made his way downstairs to the main warehouse floor. Most of it was still dominated by stacks of wooden crates that towered over him, but he’d cleared himself a space by the back wall. Two long metal tables were shoved against the wall, one was covered in numerous items: shock graves that he’d been taking apart to study, various pieces of fabric to make his armor and dozens of random metal pieces. The other held only the black haired woman he’d caught following him yesterday.

Gripping the bucket with both hands, he tossed the water over her prone form. She jerked awake, the chains binding her to the table rattling.

“W-where am I?” She asked, golden eyes looking around the warehouse widely.

“My humble abode.” Stone replied, tossing the bucket aside. Little Bastard hopped from his shoulder to a nearby crate, hooting eagerly. “Needless to say, you and I are going to have a chat. But there are a couple of things that need to be said first: I am not the kind of man who makes threats, I make promises. So I’m telling you now, if you tell me what I want to know then I’ll kill you nice and quick.” He stood where he knew she could see him, and tapped the back of his head with a finger. “Just a shard of glass through here and it's lights out forever. It’s as quick and painless as possible.”

“And let me guess, if I don’t tell you then you’ll make me suffer forever.” She replied dryly.

“Hardly.” Stone chuckled. He waved a hand and used his bending to pop open a long metal box near the table. Dozens of long, metal needles floated through the air towards her. The woman stiffened. “I’m no fool. I know that the information that I want isn’t something that you’ll give up without a fight.” The needles stopped to float above several different places on her body. “I learned this trick from a man in Zaofu. He was using it to help people ease spiritual and physical pain, but I found a way to make it cause immense pain without doing much damage.”

“Why are you telling me this?” The woman’s voice shook slightly, but her golden eyes were determined. Stone pulled up a stool, and sat down just outside her field of vision.

“Because I take no pleasure in this.” He replied. “I don’t want to just kill every Equalist I find, I only want your leadership. I know that you have somebody calling the shots after Amon’s death.”

“Amon was never our leader!” She snapped. “He was a fraud and a tyrant.” Now that’s interesting. He thought.

“Care to elaborate?” He inquired. She bit her lip, and sighed.

“Amon was a tyrant,” she repeated. “The majority of the Equalists didn’t want a violent solution, but if anyone ever dared to speak out against him, then his fanatical loyalists would make them disappear.”

“Makes sense, he wouldn’t want anyone questioning him.” Stone replied. “But, that’s not going to save you.” He waved his hands, and the needles began to sink towards her body slowly.

“Wait!” She shouted. “Please, I’m sorry if you lost someone during our attack on the City. But you have to believe me, we don’t want any more violence.”

“Somehow, I just don’t believe that.” Stone replied with a sigh. He closed his fist, and used his bending to force the needles into her flesh.

—

Somehow Asami wasn’t surprised at all that the reporter who’d written that gossip piece about her was none other than: Ling Oh, owner and main editor for Republic City Heat, the City’s largest tabloid magazine. Ming had set up a lunch meeting for them at the Four Elements Hotel. Asami had arrived first, as she always did for meetings, and she’d selected a table in a corner booth for extra privacy. The CEO put on her best fake surprise face, as Ling slid into the seat across from her.

“Well, I honestly wasn’t sure if you’d actually be here or not.” Ling said, smirking. “Yes, your assistant was the one to reach out to me, but never in a million years would I have truly believed it.”

“Yet you still came?” Asami replied, arching an eyebrow. Ling took a sip from her water glass.

“What can I say? I like their food.” She shrugged. “So I figured that even if nobody showed up, I’d still be able to get a good meal out of it.” Reaching into her bag, she produced a notebook and pen. “I’m assuming that the deal still holds?”

“Of course.” Asami nodded. “I’m not interested in any backlash against you or Republic City Heat, I just want the source who fed you that story about me.” Ling’s writing had paused, and she looked up to say something. Asami cut her off with a gesture. “Yes, I know that protecting your sources is an important thing for reporters. But, somehow I don’t think that rule would affect you, Ms. Oh.”

“True enough.” Ling replied, an annoyed look crossing her face. “But that doesn’t mean I have to make it easy for you, either.” Asami smiled victoriously. The one thing that her father had driven into her head over and over again, was that in business you should only give your target a taste of the bigger deal, that way they’d be left wanting more. Thanks, Dad. She thought.

“I’m willing to give you the first shot at interviews with me, every time that Future Industries releases a new product.” Asami said evenly. “For the next year or so, at least.” Ling’s smirk widened.

“As tempting as that is, I’ll have to pass.” The tabloid writer replied. “Because you’re not the one who I’d love to interview. Your wife is.”

“You’re willing to give up a source, just to interview Korra?” Asami asked, frowning. Suddenly, she was feeling like the one who was being tempted.

“Avatar Korra has refused all requests for a personal interview with every reporter in the City.” Ling answered with a chuckle. “So imagine their surprise when they hear that I was able to land an interview like that, when they couldn’t?” Asami bit her lip thoughtfully. Korra wouldn’t be a fan of giving an interview to someone like Ling. Then again, Ling’s source could prove to be useful for the investigation.

“Before I even think of suggesting this to her,” Asami began. “I need to know that you’re not just going to twist her words like you’re known to do.”

“I promise that I won’t do anything like that.” Ling said, holding up her hands defensively. “I’m honestly more interested in hearing things from Avatar Korra’s perspective, than I am at making another gossip piece about her.”

“Good.” Asami sighed, feeling slightly satisfied with the answer. “Because while I’m willing to forget about what you wrote about me, not even the spirits could protect you from hell I’d rain on you if you tried something like that with her.”

“I’d expect nothing less.” Ling smiled, warmly. “Obviously, I won’t be giving you my source until you contact me with Korra’s answer to my offer.”

“That was a given.” Asami teased. “Now, shall we discuss this over some lunch?”

—

“Please stop!” The black haired woman cried. Stone’s hand ceased moving, the needles still embedded in her body. “I told you everything I know!”

“Somehow I doubt that.” He replied, digging the needles in deeper. She let out a soft groan of pain, her voice having gone weak an hour ago. “I know that you know more, unless you really expect me to believe that you chose to follow me by sheer circumstance alone.”

“O-of course not!” The woman gasped. “I had orders to keep an eye out for you, and I’m not the only one either. There are others-“ He sent the needles deeper with a flex of his fingers.

“I already said, I’m not interested in grunts like you.” Stone sighed. “I want the shot-callers. The ones who issue the orders, not the ones who follow them. I know that Amon and Hiroshi Sato weren’t the only higher ranked members of your organization.”

“I don’t know their names!” The woman insisted, as Stone coaxed the needles ever deeper. “That’s kind of the point! After our defeat, we knew that we had to do things differently. So, the higher ups made sure to keep their identities to themselves.”

“Why?” He asked. “It’s not illegal to be an Equalist anymore.”

“Yes, but we can hardly influence the political system of the United Republic if they know who we are, now can we?” The woman paused to gulp in lungfuls of air. “But there’s a meeting going on between them. Please, that’s all I know.”

“I believe you.” Stone replied, drawing the needles out slowly. “Just tell me when and where this meeting is taking place, and I’ll let you die like I promised.”

“Tonight, at midnight.” She whimpered. “At a bar called the Crimson Moon. There’s a secret basement where the meeting will take place, but it requires a password that I don’t know. Not to mention that the bar itself will be packed with Equalists anyway, so it’s best you don’t go in.”

“I wasn’t planning to.” Stone used his bending to float a shard of glass from one of the crates, positioning it just behind the woman’s head, at the base of her skull. “I always loved a proper hunt.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What wait, back to back updates? I know, it’s crazy, but I couldn’t help it lol. Next chapter things will start to really heat up. Maybe Avatar Korra will finally encounter our killer? Who knows.


	8. Chapter Eight: Amendments and Continuations

Sergeant-Detective Mako felt surprisingly nervous, as he entered Future Industries Tower. He’d asked for the afternoon off specifically for this meeting, though he wasn’t sure how it was going to go. The receptionist had told him to stay in the waiting room, saying: “Mrs. Sato just left for a lunch meeting, but she should be back soon. I can see if I can leave a message for her at the restaurant she’s visiting, if you’d like?”

“Oh, no.” He replied, waving a hand vaguely. “That’s very generous of you, but I’ll just wait here until she gets back.” Because she’d probably take the back entrance if she knew I was here. He added to himself.

“Sure thing.” The receptionist smiled, getting up and leading him to the waiting room. It was a spacious area with several plush leather chairs and one large couch. “I’ll just be at my desk, if you need anything during your wait.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Mako said with a smile, lowering himself onto one of the chairs. Four other people were waiting as well, three men and a woman. The men were all buried in newspapers, while the woman looked like she was rehearsing a speech to herself. A radio in the far corner of the room was playing soft music. Mako spotted some magazines neatly stacked on a nearby table, and picked one up to look at. The title read: The Daily Engineer; How the United Republic Became a Giant of Industry. He suppressed a groan. “Spirits, but it’s better than Republic City Heat at least.”

He was halfway through a paragraph about Hiroshi Sato’s first Satomobile designs, when a familiar voice rang out in the waiting room.

“Mako?” He turned to see Asami Sato standing in the doorway, her handbag hanging from one forearm and a stern expression on her face. She wore her usual black and red skirt suit, with a shall covering her shoulders. Her hair was tied back in a low ponytail.

“Hey, Asami.” Mako said, setting aside the magazine and standing up. He approached her slowly, trying to get a read on her. Asami had always been good at hiding her inner thoughts, however, even when they were dating. “I came to apologize-“ He began, but she cut him off with a gesture.

“Not here.” She said, tilting her head towards the elevator. He followed her to it and together they rode up to the top floor, where she led the way to her office. Ming gave him a curious look, but he merely winked in response. “Okay, what is it that you wanted to say?” Asami sighed, as she shut the door behind them, then seated herself behind her desk.

“For starters: I’m sorry.” He began, taking a seat across from her. “I should’ve known that taking you down to the station like that would’ve brought up unpleasant memories for you. And I’m sorry that I ever considered you to be a suspect in the first place, but it was the right thing to do.”

“So on one hand, you apologize to me,” Asami replied, raising an eyebrow. “And on the other you slap me in the face again?”

“That’s not what I meant!” He sighed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his thighs. “I’ve always been the one who had to do whatever was needed to survive, no matter what it was. At first, it was stealing so Bolin and I could afford to eat. Then, it was crunching numbers for the Triple Threats. But now, now I get the chance to actually do some good. And the only way I know how, is by following the letter of the law.”

“So you’re saying that while you’re sorry for the effect it had on me, you’re not sorry for interrogating me in the first place?” Asami finished, crossing her arms. He nodded. She was silent for a long moment, biting her lip thoughtfully. “Oddly enough, that actually makes sense. It doesn’t completely fix things between us, but it at least makes me hate you a little less.”

“That’s all I was hoping for.” He replied, getting up to leave.

“Wait!” Asami called, making him stop. “So, you and Ming?” He laughed softly.

“Yeah, sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” He sighed. “But she was worried that you’d fire her, and I didn’t want to make things anymore complicated between us than they already were.”

“Yeah, I can understand that.” Asami replied, looking down at her desk. They were quiet for a while. The ticking of the clock on the wall mixing with the sound of their breathing. “How’re things between you two? Is it something serious?”

“Honestly? I don’t know.” He said, shaking his head slightly. “We’ve been on and off for the last two years, but she’s never seemed interested in anything more serious.” Asami frowned slightly. “How’re things with you and Korra?” He added quickly, hoping to steer the conversation away from his love life.

“Things are great, actually.” Asami sighed, her smile returning in full force. “We’re still waiting to hear back from Director Song about our adoption case, but we’re in a good place right now.” Mako smiled and nodded. Hearing about the success of his friends’ lives made him feel slightly better about his own. “Though I’ve had to work later than I’d like.”

“Do you ever wonder if you made the right decision in taking over Future Industries?” He asked, hesitantly. Her green eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

“Yes.” She answered with a confident smirk. “But I was pretty much raised to one day inherit it. Plus, it really helps that I absolutely love engineering, and have grown to enjoy the business world just as much. Why do you ask?”

“Just something that Ming said.” He sighed. “Anyway, I’ve taken up enough of your time. I’ve gotta be getting back to the station.” As he got up to leave, a sudden idea popped into his head. “Hey, I could actually use your help with something tonight, if you’re free?” Asami tilted her head, an eyebrow raised inquisitively. “It’s nothing bad, I’m just going to shadow someone and would appreciate the company.”

“So why not ask Bolin or Korra?” Asami replied slyly. She suspected why, but wanted him to say it himself.

“Because we made a great team investigating the Cultural Center bombing, and I realized that we hadn’t been on a case together since then.” He replied, truthfully. It was always embarrassing for him to admit when he needed somebody, but he’d found himself missing Asami’s company ever since her outburst at the station.

“Okay then, I’ll see you later, Mako.” Asami stood and gave him a brief hug. “Take care yourself.” He nodded, and left the CEO’s office without another word.

—

By the time Bolin returned from his dinner break, he was surprised to find that both Dr. Lee and Korra were waiting at his desk. The Avatar was seated in his chair, her feet on the desktop and her hands laced behind her head. She was trying and failing to strike up a conversation with the coroner, who looked very uncomfortable in the Avatar’s presence.

“Hey, what can I do for you two?” Bolin asked, as he approached the desk. Dr. Lee perked up immediately.

“Oh, good there you are!” She said, a little too loudly, while holding out a file folder. “We just got a body of an unidentified woman in the morgue. I thought that you and Sergeant Mako would be interested in my findings.” Without another word, the strange coroner left the room. Bolin stared down at the file in confusion.

“Good to see it’s not just me that she doesn’t seem to like.” Korra commented dryly.

“Why are you here anyway?” Bolin asked, looking up from the file. He waited for her to move from his chair, but reluctantly sat in the less comfortable metal one across from her, once it became clear that she wasn’t going to get up. “Not that I don’t mind, of course.”

“Eh, Asami’s going to be working late,” Korra answered with a shrug. “And I honestly don’t like being alone in that huge house at night. So, I decided that I’d come down and see if there was anything that I could help you out with.”

“I know what you mean about the empty house.” He replied, gesturing vaguely. At ten o’clock at night, the police station was being run by only a handful of officers. “Normally I’m not here this late, but I’ve been running myself ragged trying to find some former Equalists to interview about the murders.”

“Which has clearly been going well.” Korra smirked. Bolin huffed in agreement. “Why do you need Equalists? I thought his brother-in-law already told you who he was.”

“He did, but Mako doesn’t think he was telling the whole truth.” He explained, setting the folder on his desk and opening it. He had to squint slightly to make out Dr. Lee’s small handwriting.

“Where is your grumpy brother?” The Avatar asked, looking around.

“He said he was going to try and apologize to Asami this afternoon.” The earthbender replied, as he flipped through the coroner’s report. “After that, I don’t actually know. He must’ve gone home.”

“At least he’s trying to mend that bridge.” Korra sighed. Bolin nodded, and returned his attention to the file before him. The two sat in companionable silence for two long hours. After a while, Korra began to entertain herself by metalbending Bolin’s spare pens into the air above his head.

“Well that’s odd.” He said suddenly. Korra nearly fell out of the chair when he spoke.

“What is?” She asked, returning the pens to their holder.

“Dr. Lee’s notes say that she found a shard of glass embedded in the woman’s skull, severing her brainstem.”

“And that’s odd how?” The Avatar inquired.

“Because when she tried to remove the shard, it kept breaking.” He explained, pushing the notes towards her. “And when she had the pieces tested, the lab said that they were too brittle to be forced into human flesh naturally.” Korra frowned down at the report for a long moment.

“So somebody used bending to put it there?” She asked. He nodded. “But what kind of bender could do that?”

“An earthbender, if they have the talent.” Bolin explained, shrugging. “It’s rare, but it’s possible as long as the glass is impure enough.” Korra sighed and shook her head. “That’s all I know about it, other than it’s supposedly easier to do if you know how to sandbend.”

“And that connects to our killer, how?” Korra questioned.

“It connects because Mr. Fire said that Stone Feng was born and raised in a sandbender village.” Bolin said excitedly. “It also explains why there was a victim from the Dragon Flats that had glass shards in his body.”

“Well, shit.” The Avatar sighed, sitting up straight. “How do you even-“ She was interrupted by a trainee officer who came rushing into the room. The Fire Nation man bent over to catch his breath, before speaking to Bolin.

“There’s a situation Downtown that you need to respond to, sir!” He gasped.

“What kind of situation?” Bolin inquired. “And why didn’t you just send in the other officers on night shift?”

“Because, all six of them are already responding to it!” The young man continued, breathing heavy. “All they said was that there was a single criminal they were dealing with and that they needed you, Detective Bolin.”

“One guy against a half dozen metalbenders?” Korra said in confusion. The trainee nodded.

“Oh, and they said something about how the guy’s face was covered in burn scars.” He added. “I don’t understand why that was important, but they said you’d-“

“Come on, Korra!” Bolin shouted, jumping to his feet. The Avatar stood just as quickly, still thoroughly confused by the sudden turn of events.

—

Forty minutes earlier:

Ming Shu knew in her gut that she should’ve just skipped this meeting. It wasn’t entirely mandatory for her to be there, according to Buttercup Raiko, but it would’ve been suspicious if she hadn’t come. So, in the end, she’d given in and decided to go. Even if it was only out of her respect for the former First Lady. Buttercup had found Ming six months after the Water Tribe girl had fled from her domineering father. The older woman had saved her from a man who was trying to sell her off for an extra food ration in the Fire Nation.

As a nonbender, Ming Shu had been widely overlooked while living in the Northern Water Tribe. And, thanks to her father, she hadn’t even known how to defend herself. So, it was a big surprise to her when Buttercup had kicked her would-be seller so hard that the big man’s head had nearly come off. She and Ming had been inseparable ever since. Ming had even moved to Republic City at Buttercup’s insistence, since it was supposed to be a better place for nonbenders to live. The former First Lady had then become a mentor to Ming, not only teaching her how to fight, but drilling the ins and outs of the Equalist’s ideals into her mind.

“Hello, Moshi!” Ming greeted the Crimson Moon’s bouncer. He was a towering man, with thickly muscled arms and barrel chest. He had the deeply tanned skin of the Water Tribe, and the golden eyes and brown hair of the Fire Nation. He wore a freshly pressed crimson suit.

“Hello again, Ming.” The giant rumbled. “The other’s are already inside waiting.” He said, motioning towards the door. Ming flashed her friendliest smile, before stepping inside. The inside of the bar was decorated in blacks, reds and browns. Several people mingled around the room, many of them she recognized as fellow Equalists. She caught the bartender’s eye, and flashed a hand single. The woman nodded and gestured to the door next to the bar. Ming walked over to it, paused to glance around the room, then pushed it open.

The door opened up onto a staircase which led down to another door, this one made of metal. She knocked loudly.

“Password!” Came a muffled reply.

“Equality for all.” She replied dryly. The saying was a popular one amongst the Equalist movement, but Ming found it a little too literal. The door opened with the squeak of rusty hinges. Beyond was a small room with a large oval table in the center. Gathered around it were half a dozen other figures. She recognized each one as a high ranking Equalist member.

“Ah, there you are, Ming!” Buttercup called, raising a hand in greeting.

“Yes, now that you’re here we can finally get to business.” A portly man replied. She couldn’t remember his name, but she knew that he worked in the shipping industry. Several of the other members murmured in agreement. She settled into her chair beside Buttercup’s.

“Quiet.” The former First Lady growled, slapping the table with a gavel. “Now, let’s get one thing straight: while this meeting is primarily about the recent murders, we’re still going to cover our usual business first.” Ming took out her notebook and pen, and began writing down the figures as the Equalist leaders spent the next half hour going over the number of weapons and new recruits they’d gotten or lost recently.

“Not exactly the numbers that I would’ve hoped for, but we’ll have to work with it.” Buttercup muttered in annoyance. Ming nodded. By her calculations, the Equalist movement would most likely only last two more years, if they couldn’t get their recruitment numbers up. “But, let’s move on to the piece of information you’ve all been waiting for.”

“Good, because from what I’ve heard, this killer is a very competent earthbender.” The portly portmaster spoke up.

“Indeed, if my findings during the autopsies were anything to judge by.” Dr. Lee added. Ming had been mildly surprised that Republic City’s coroner had been an Equalist, but the other woman’s intelligence had proven to be invaluable to the cause. “Clearly, this man is completely fixed on Equalists in general. Though, I personally think he’s targeting our leadership.”

“What makes you say that?” Ming asked.

“Because he killed The Lieutenant.” The coroner replied matter-of-factly. “And even the other members who died that night were high ranking.”

“True, if he were just going after Equalists at random,” Buttercup finished. “Then there’d be more bodies by now.”

“Let’s not forget the spy who recently went missing.” Another person suggested. “A spy who Ming herself recommended, I might add.” Ming shot a venomous glare at the speaker. He was a thin man known as Wing. She didn’t know what he did for a living, but suspected it was something illegal from how shifty he always looked.

“You sent a spy after him?” Buttercup asked, turning to look at Ming.

“Yes and no.” The assistant sighed. “I just told them to keep an eye out for anyone matching the sketch in the paper the other day. Then I got a message from an agent who said she’d found him, so I told her to find out where he was holding up.” Buttercup continued to stare at her for a long moment, eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

“Good thinking, Ming.” She said eventually.

“What?” Wing sputtered. “But the spy is now missing!”

“And how many members did we lose under Amon’s insanity?” Buttercup shot back. “Sure, he was a tyrant, but he taught us that we wouldn’t ever get anywhere if we didn’t take the necessary risks. Our spies know that they’ll have to eventually put their lives on the line, and they agreed to do so because they believed in our cause. So I don’t want to hear anything else about this, understood?” The thin man gave a short nod, slumping in his chair.

“May I make a suggestion?” Dr. Lee spoke up. Buttercup nodded for her to continue. “The killer carved the name ‘Sato’ into The Lieutenant’s chest. So, maybe we try offering Asami as a trade?”

“What?!” Ming bellowed, incredulously. “Are you fucking insane!” The coroner gave no reaction.

“Go on.” Buttercup said. Ming turned her glare on the former First Lady.

“You can’t be serious!” The assistant protested. “She’s not even one of us.”

“For once, I have to agree with Ming.” Wing sighed. “While I respect your intelligence, Dr. Lee, this is simply out of the question.”

“I must object as well.” The portly man agreed. All around the table, the other leadership members agreed that Dr. Lee’s suggestion was going too far.

“Very well,” Buttercup said, slamming down her gavel again. “This meeting is adjourned for tonight. We’ll reconvene at our usual time next week, unless another emergency comes up.” One by one, the Equalist leaders left the meeting room, until it was only Ming and Buttercup left. “You should really consider Lee’s offer.” The older woman said, as they got up to leave. “I know that giving up an innocent person is distasteful, but it could be worthwhile if it would spare us from any more murders.”

“The problem is that you don’t seem to understand that it wouldn’t work.” Ming sighed. “I respect you immensely, Buttercup, but I simply can never condone such an arrangement. This killer is clearly very determined, and he wouldn’t stop just because we offered up a sacrificial lamb for him.” She and Buttercup walked through the bar in silence, coming to a stop on the sidewalk just beyond the door.

“And that’s why I like you, Ming.” The former First Lady said with a sigh. “You speak your mind, and aren’t afraid of the consequences.” Ming beamed at the compliment. “Very well, I’ll make sure the coroner’s suggestion never comes up again.” As she finished speaking, the two women turned to start towards the parking lot across the street. Halfway there, however, they noticed a large man standing on the opposite side watching them. Most of his face was disfigured by burn scars.

“That’s him!” Ming hissed, grabbing Buttercup by the arm and trying to pull her back towards the bar. She watched in horror, as the man earthbent a chunk of concrete from the ground and hurled it towards them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry, I know that I promised that things would be heating up in this chapter. But then I realized that the Krew needed to do some emotional healing before the story could advance more. I promise though, the action isn’t far away.


	9. Chapter Nine: Blood and Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: graphic description of violence.

10:00 pm Saturday night

Asami found Mako waiting for her in the lobby of Future Industries Tower. She’d called him to let him know that she was getting off work soon, and they’d agreed to take her roadster for their mission that night. It felt good to finally be on a mission again! Ever since everything that had happened with Guan, she simply hadn’t trusted herself to go along with Korra on any of her wife’s Avatar related activities. Sure, she knew perfectly well that her mind had recovered completely from that experience, but it still gave her nightmares sometimes. She pushed away her wandering thoughts, and sighed.

“So, are you ready for this?” She asked, smiling. Mako chuckled.

“Of course.” He replied, leading the way into the parking garage. He’d parked his motorcycle next to her roadster. Asami narrowed her eyes at the sight of it. Mako really wasn’t that great at caring for his vehicle. The police issued motorcycle had a large scrape on the left side, a momento from the one time he’d allowed Korra to drive it, and was covered in what appeared to be dried mud.

“That poor thing.” The engineer said, flashing a sad look at the machine. “One of these days, I’m going to have to teach you how to care for it properly.” Mako rolled his eyes, as he climbed into the roadster. Asami settled behind the wheel with a sigh, and fired up the engine. “So, what are we doing exactly?” She asked, as she pulled out onto the road.

“Well Bolin and I got a visit from a man claiming to be our killer’s brother-in-law,” Mako explained, pulling out his notebook. “He not only gave us the killer’s name, but some insight into his past and possible motivation.”

“That seems a bit too convenient.” Asami replied, frowning. Mako flipped through his notes until he seemed to find the page he was looking for.

“That’s what I said,” he chuckled. “But Bolin and Saikhan thought that I was being paranoid. Plus, technically I’m not supposed to be working on this investigation anyway.”

“I take it, that’s because of what happened during my...interview on Tuesday.” She sighed, slowing the roadster to a stop at a red light. He nodded. “Okay, so what was it that made you think he was lying?”

“Well, for starters, it was barely a day after Bolin’s press conference when this guy came in.” Mako began, still looking down at his notes. “We never get a reply that fast. Then it was the fact that he claimed to have come straight to the station from the power plant, yet his suit was perfectly clean.”

“I don’t get why that would be a problem?” Asami asked, arching a confused eyebrow. The light changed and she brought the roadster back up to speed.

“It had rained that day. There’s no way he could’ve avoided getting at least some mud or grime on his pants if he was walking around the power plant. I know from experience that that place is rarely cleaned.” As he spoke, he let out a sigh of relief. “There it is! Okay, here’s his address-“ Asami listened intently, as he listed off the information. She turned onto a side street, narrowing avoiding an idiot who decided to run across the road.

“There’s a crosswalk for a reason!” She shouted, knowing that the pedestrian couldn’t hear her. Mako gave her an amused look. “What? I rebuilt these streets, I’m allowed to be annoyed when people don’t use them right.” The firebender snorted and shook his head. Asami turned onto the street that Lee Fire lived on, and parked the roadster three houses down from the one listed as Mr. Fire’s address. “Alright, now we just wait.”

“Yep.” Mako replied with a sigh. Asami cut off the engine and leaned back in her seat. This was the part she didn’t like: While she was perfectly capable of being patient, her overactive mind simply hated having nothing to do. She tapped the steering wheel with her fingers. “You’re just like Bolin.” She turned towards Mako. He had slid down in his seat, with his feet propped up on the dashboard. “He does that too,” He explained, nodding to Asami’s nervous tapping. “He claims it’s because he doesn’t like sitting still, but mostly it’s because he has something on his mind.”

“I’m just nervous,” Asami began with a sigh. “I’m nervous about being a mom, especially after everything we went through with Guan.”

“That was years ago, Asami.” Mako replied, gently. “But, I can understand why you’d feel that way. Every healer I’ve seen has assured me that my mind has recovered, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder if that’s really true or not.” Asami stared at him in mild shock. The firebender had never been particularly skilled at discussing his emotions, which was one of the reasons they hadn’t worked as a couple. So the fact that he’d opened up so easily was surprising to her. Not to mention that he’d said exactly what she’d been about to say herself. She sighed, and turned her attention back to the street.

“You pretty much said exactly what I wanted too.” Asami said quietly. “I know that I’m better, because I don’t feel any of Guan’s influence on my thoughts anymore. And I know that if there was anything of it left, it would’ve shown up sometime in the last four years.”

“But, the fear of it is still there.” Mako finished. She nodded sadly. “You’ll be an excellent mother, Asami, and I’m not just saying that to make you feel better either.” She turned to find him already looking at her with a fond expression. “I’m saying that because I know it’s true. Because, I know that you’d never let anything bad happen to your child.” She felt her eyes begin to burn, as he spoke.

“Thanks, Mako, that means a lot.” Asami said, turning and wiping away her tears.

“Well, wasn’t that just a beautiful moment.” An unfamiliar voice broke the silence. She looked up. Eight people stood nearby, gathered in a loose formation around the roadster. Each of them was dressed in an Equalist uniform. As she watched, a ninth figure joined them. He was a rather unimpressive man wearing a faded grey suit.

“Nice to see you again, Mr. Fire.” Mako said, dryly. “Who’re your friends?”

“I had a suspicion that my story might’ve sounded a little too convenient for you,” Lee Fire replied. “So, I went ahead and asked for some backup, in case you decided to look into things.”

“So, was everything you told the police a lie?” Asami asked, frowning. In her head, she began to play through her options. Judging from the distance between them and the car, she knew she’d never get it started before they could reach her. So driving away wasn’t an option. They could always fight, of course. But her shock glove was in her purse, which was on the seat beside her. She looked over the group once more, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully.

“Yes and no.” Lee confined. “I’m not Stone Feng’s brother-in-law, but everything I told you about him was true. He really was blown up by one of Hiroshi’s bombs, and he really was a United Forces veteran and a former cop with the RCPD.” As he spoke, Asami silently evaluated the other people around them. She knew without a doubt that some, if not most, would be chi blockers. Her eyes dropped to her purse, then rose to meet Mako’s golden orbs. The firebender gave her a slight nod.

—

12:30 am Sunday morning

“That’s him!” Ming’s shout rang out on the otherwise empty street, as she tried to pull Buttercup back towards the bar. The scarred man started moving at the same time. Her body reacted on instinct, dropping to the ground and pulling Buttercup down with her, just as a large chunk of concrete passed over them. A loud shout came from somewhere behind them. Ming looked up in time to see Moshi charge towards the scarred man, who she recognized as Stone Feng.

Stone sidestepped Moshi’s right hook with ease. The lumbering Equalist stumbled, his momentum carrying him forward. Ming watched in horror, as Stone gave a wave of his metal hand, sending a spike of earth up through Moshi’s chest. The big man twitched twice, before going still. Blood seeped out of the body, running down the spike slowly.

“I do hope that the rest of y’all offer more of a challenge.” Stone Feng muttered, brushing dust from his coat.

“Come on, Ming!” Buttercup said, dragging the younger woman to her feet. “Help!” People were already beginning to file out of the Crimson Moon. To Ming’s relief, at least a dozen of them were Equalists. The image of Moshi’s impaled body flashed in her mind, and a wave of dread settled in her chest. If Stone Feng could defeat him so easily, then she had serious doubts about their chances.

“Stay back!” Ming yelled at her comrades. “It’s him!” Looks of realization crossed several of the gathered faces, while others looked afraid, and fewer still seemed downright angry. Ming ignored them, turning to Buttercup instead. “Get the civilians out of here.” She said, shoving her mentor towards the bar. She wasn’t just going to stand by and watch any more people die, not while she could do something about it.

“What about you?” The former First Lady demanded. Ming met her gaze with determination burning in her eyes.

“I’m going to buy you some time!” She replied, putting all the conviction she could into her words. “Now go, get them out of here!” Ming turned to face the scarred man as she spoke. Stone Feng seemed bored, as he watched their exchange. His heavily scarred face was impossible for her to read, but she was fairly certain he was amused as she approached him.

“And just who are you supposed to be?” He asked. His grey eyes bored into her with an intensity she hadn’t seen before. She felt her own fear rising in her chest, but pushed it back down. Ming aimed a punch for his chest, twisting her body as she moved. Stone started to reach for her arm, but she slipped past his grip. Her knuckles connection with the material of his coat. She was surprised to feel something hard and unyielding just beneath the outer layer. A faint metallic clang filled her ears, and she looked up at him in shock. “Ouch,” He chuckled. “That tickled.”

He slammed a hand into her chest. The force of the blow sent her to one knee, and drove the air from her lungs. She was only stunned for a moment, however, and lunged forward to avoid his next blow. Ming rolled across the ground and sprung to her feet, sending a kick towards the back of his knee. Unlike his chest, the joint wasn’t protected, and she was relieved to feel her shoe connect with flesh. Stone let out a grunt of pain.

“Get over there and help her, I’ll handle them!” Buttercup’s voice sounded from back towards the bar. Ming was vaguely aware of people running towards them, but ignored it. Stone spun around with surprising speed, his metal fist aimed for her head. She ducked beneath the blow, and twisted around him to drive her elbow into the knee she’d kicked before. The scarred man yelped.

“Fuck this!” He spun his injured leg away from her reach, raising his left hand suddenly. A rumble under her feet was her only warning. Ming dropped backwards onto her rear, as an earthen spike sprung up from where she’d been standing. The sound of grunting reached her, as she got back to her feet. Stone Feng was surrounded by three other Equalists. They’d managed to trap his arms with a bola, and were in the process of attacking the scarred man. Their blows strunk his armor uselessly, however.

“Aim for the joints!” Ming shouted, just as Stone freed himself. The earthbender dodged a blow meant for his head, catching the arm in his metal hand.

“Now it’s my turn.” He growled. The Equalist whose arm he held screamed, as his metallic fingers closed around her limb tightly. Ming heard the wet snapping of bone, as she rushed to join them. Stone kicked the injured woman away, and brought his hands up in a similar movement he’d used on her and Moshi. Twin earthen spikes shot out of the ground, impaling the remaining Equalists.

Ming let out an incoherent scream, and sprinted towards him. Stone turned just in time to see her approach, before she slammed her shoulder into his chest with all her weight and momentum. The impact sent him stumbling backwards towards the bar, half slumping against a nearby car. Ming straightened and rushed him again. She jumped, bringing one knee up and angling it towards his face. Stone tried to avoid it, but was too slow. Ming felt something crunch under her knee, and blood started to run down Stone’s face.

She allowed her momentum to carry her forward over his shoulder, wrapping an arm around his neck as she did. Her side collided with the car’s roof. Ignoring the pain, she tightened her hold around Stone’s neck. The big man grunted, and rose to his full height, dragging Ming’s body off the car as he did so. She clung to his back, wrapping a leg around his waist and pulling against his throat with all the strength she could muster. Metallic fingers wrapped around her elbow and pulled. She tried to hold onto him, but his strength was too great to resist.

With a grunt, Stone hauled her up over his shoulder and slammed her down onto the street. The breath rushed from her lungs, and stars danced in her eyes.

“You people are like weeds.” Stone grumbled, brushing blood from his face with his arm. “No matter how many times you’re pulled up, you always come back.”

“Really, gardening tips?” Ming countered, tasting blood in her mouth. She forced her aching body to move. A sharp pain stabbed into her chest. Probably a broken rib. She thought, as she got to her feet unsteadily. “And here I thought you’d have a monologue like one of those cheesy spy movers.” As she spoke, she raised her left hand and swung for his head. The slam to the ground had taken more out of her than she thought, however, since he caught her hand with very little effort.

“I wasn’t planning on killing you,” Stone said. He twisted her hand sharply. Pain shot up her arm, as her wrist broke. Ming bit her lip to hold back a scream, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her in pain. “But, you’ve annoyed me enough to warrant killing.” Stone raised his free hand slowly, intending to earthbend another spike. Before he could, however, a metal cable shot out of nowhere and wrapped around his elbow.

“Halt!” A new voice shouted. Ming looked over her shoulder to watch six metalbending officers come rushing down the street towards them. She was relieved to see that Buttercup and the other Equalists had managed to get the civilians to a safe distance. Stone Feng released her arm. With a flick of his wrist, the metal cable released him. A look of surprise flashed over the officer’s face.

“Welcome to the party boys!” Stone laughed.

—

10:30 pm Saturday night

Two things happened at once: One, Asami kicked the driver side door open, knocking the nearest Equalist off balance. Two, she reached into her purse and slipped her hand into her shock glove. The weapon vibrated slightly, as she switched it on. She slapped it into the same Equalist’s chest. The man jerked wildly, then dropped to the ground. A blast of fire flew over her shoulder, forcing the other Equalists back. Mako leaped after his attack, sending two fire kicks in Lee’s direction. The man dodged his attacks with ease, smirking.

“I don’t care what you do with the bender,” Lee Fire told the other Equalists. “But, we have our orders for the woman.” Asami frowned, flashing a concerned look at Mako. The firebender seemed just as confused as she felt. Deciding that it was better to hit first and ask questions later, Asami surged forward and caught a second Equalist with her shock glove. The woman toppled over, still twitching slightly.

Mako performed a spinning kick, sending a ripple of flame towards three Equalists on their right. Two were able to avoid the attack, but the third received burns to the face and arms. He ran off down the street, screaming. Asami twisted to avoid a punch to her chest, slapping her glove into the owner’s shoulder. The man dropped without a sound. Lee and the four other remaining Equalists were grouped together before them, two facing Mako and Asami each, with Lee in between them.

Asami started to move towards the two facing her, when the sound of crunching leaves coming from behind her caught her attention. She spun around and gasped in surprise, seeing six more Equalists rushing up from behind. Mako must’ve heard her gasp, since he turned and sent two fire blasts towards the approaching figures.

“You take these ones, I’ll handle the ones in front!” Mako shouted, twisting around as he spoke to send more flames towards Lee and his companions. Asami leapt towards her chosen opponents, catching the nearest one with her glove. The woman dropped with a shriek of pain. Then the rest surrounded her. She lost all train of thought, save for action and reaction. Luckily, her fighting style had been carefully designed to focus on not only avoiding blows and using your opponent’s momentum against them, but also to fight multiple opponents. She ducked under a punch meant for her head, grabbing the offending arm and using the man’s momentum to send him flying into a nearby car.

She didn’t have time to make sure he would stay down, as another Equalist rushed at her. She sidestepped a poorly aimed kick, slapping her glove into the man’s face and shoving him backwards. His unconscious body tripped up one of his comrades, giving her a second to glance in Mako’s direction. While she’d been holding her own with relative ease, the firebender was having a more difficult time. He’d taken one Equalist down, but the other three continued to harass him. Two of them would rush forward to draw his fire blasts, while the third would lunge in from the side to land a quick blow. She didn’t see Lee anywhere, however.

Returning her attention back to the fight, Asami sidestepped a punch to her midsection. She caught the arm with her own, and twisting hard. The woman’s arm dislocated with a popping sound, and she fell to the ground, clutching her shoulder. The last three Equalists faced her, wary looks on their faces.

“What’s the matter, afraid of little old me?” Asami taunted with a smirk. One of the Equalists flashed a hand sign to her companions, before approaching Asami from the front. The other two circled towards her flanks. Asami eyed them with her peripheral vision, while keeping her main focus on the woman before her. She could tell immediately that this one was different from the others. The masked woman carried herself with obvious confidence and control. Asami aimed a low kick towards the Equalist’s shins. The woman dodged it with ease, hopping over her leg. But the blow hadn’t meant to connect. Asami followed it up with a spinning axe kick towards the woman’s head.

The Equalist woman ducked under the kick, and landed a quick jab to Asami’s side. She struck with straight fingers, revealing that this woman was a chi blocker. Asami dropped to the ground and used her momentum to roll back onto her feet, purposely trying to put distance between herself and the chi blocker woman. As soon as she was standing, however, the other two Equalists rushed forward. Asami sidestepped a punch, and narrowly avoided a kick to her head. She grabbed one man’s arm, while catching the other’s leg with her shock glove. She shocked them both one after the other, and turned to face the remaining Equalists. The sight before her made her pause, fear tightening in her chest.

“Easy now, girly.” Lee Fire said, calmly. Mako was kneeling before him, bruised and bleeding. Lee held a long silver blade to the firebender’s throat. “Let’s make a deal, shall we? Just put that shock glove down and surrender yourself to us, or I’ll give your pet bender here a new smile.” He tightened the knife against Mako’s neck until it drew blood.

“Don’t do it!” Mako pleaded. “Don’t let him trick you like Zaheer did Korra. Just get out of here, don’t worry about me.”

“Oh she won’t do that, she’s stupidly loyal,” Lee Fire laughed. “Just like her wife.” Asami ground her teeth angrily, weighing the options in her head. She could keep fighting, but there was no way she’d reach Mako before Lee could kill him. She could run, but again Mako would die. Or she could do as asked and surrender herself to whatever Lee had planned for her. None of the three were appealing to her engineer’s mind. But she didn’t see a fourth. She held up her glove, intending to take it off, when an idea popped into her head.

“Okay, okay. Just everybody stay calm.” She said, slowly sliding the glove off her hand, and approaching the group. The five remaining Equalists watched her intently, but her eyes were fixated on Lee Fire. “There’s no reason to kill anybody, I’ll come willingly.” Once she was within striking distance of the Equalists, she bent down at the knees as if to lay her glove on the ground. She flipped the activation switch, before hurling the weapon up at Lee’s face. Sparks of energy sparkled along the fingers, as the glove flew through the air, seemingly in slow motion.

Lee Fire reached out to catch it instinctively. Realization dawned on his face and he tried to retract his hand, but he was too late. The glove made contact with his skin, sending a surge of energy all throughout his body. He jerked wildly, his knife cutting the side of Mako’s head, before toppling over backwards. Asami was moving before Lee’s unconscious body even hit the ground. She spun and hooked her leg around those of the woman she’d been fighting before. Forced off balance, the chi blocker threw a punch which missed wildly. Smiling, Asami dodged the blow easily and stepped past the woman’s guard, driving her elbow into her jaw. The chi blocker dropped without a sound.

Asami spun around in time to see Mako scaring off the last three Equalists with blasts of flame. He had one hand clamped over his wound, blood was already beginning to seep through his fingers.

“We need to leave, now!” He grunted, gesturing towards the still unconscious Equalists around them. “They’re not going to stay down for long-Shit, look out!” The last thing Asami saw was a look of sheer horror on Mako’s face, before a familiar jolt of energy shot through her body and she fell forward into darkness.

—

1:00 am Sunday morning

By the time they arrived at the scene, it was utter chaos. Avatar Korra looked on in shock: the Crimson Moon was located in the heart of New Downtown. The single story building stood a short distance away from the others, and had a small parking lot across the street from it. But her gaze was fixated on the street itself. Several large chunks of pavement had torn up from the road and were scattered around at random. Three bodies were impaled on earthen spikes. In the center of it all was a single man, with greying black hair and a face covered in burn scars.

“By the spirits!” Korra heard Bolin mutter. She nodded in agreement. The man, who Bolin had said was known as Stone Feng, was squaring off against six of Republic City’s metalbending police. And he was winning, if her combat experience was anything to go by. Every time one of the officers shot their cables towards him, Stone would redirect them with his own metalbending. She watched as he caught the cable of a male officer and pulled hard. The officer flew forward, and Stone drove his knee up into the man’s chest. The officer flew towards her and Bolin, a huge bent in his metal uniform.

“Stop this!” Korra shouted, barely aware that she’d spoken. The remaining officers froze immediately. Stone Feng turned slowly. A strange feeling of recognition flashed through her. Though the scars covered the entirety of his face, she couldn’t help but think she’d seen him before somewhere.

“Well I’ll be a hog-monkey’s uncle!” The scarred man laughed. “Avatar Korra, it’s been a while.” As he spoke, he earthbent a patch of pavement around his left hand, and began walking towards them.

“Do I know you?” Korra asked, frowning. She’d come expecting a fight, yet now she wasn’t so sure. Beside her, she noticed Bolin settling into his lavabending stance.

“Just give the signal,” he whispered. “And I’ll light him up.”

“I know why you’re here, Avatar.” Stone continued. “But, and I’ll only say this once: I’ve got no issues with you. So you can run along and we’ll forget about this.”

“I don’t run from a fight!” Korra growled. “Especially not when innocent people are on the line.” She put on her best intimidating glare. To her annoyance, Stone merely began to clap slowly. The sound of metal hitting rock filling the space between them. Without warning, he leapt forward and slammed his fists into the street. Dozens of short earthen spikes shot out of the ground at Korra and Bolin’s feet. They rushed backwards, narrowly avoiding being impaled. Bolin’s car wasn’t so lucky, several spikes embedded themselves into its chassis and tires.

Korra leapt up over the spikes, sending two fire blasts towards Stone, following it up with a burst of air. The scarred man easily avoided the burning missiles, but didn’t notice the disturbance in the air. It struck him in the chest, forcing him to stumble backwards but he remained on his feet.

“Never fought an airbender before!” He laughed. “This oughta be fun!” He twirled his hands around. As he moved them, thin tendrils of earth rose from the ground and hovered in front of him. With a shout, he shoved his hands forward, and the earthen tendrils followed his command. Korra used a powerful blast of air to redirect some of the objects, while Bolin jumped up and halted the rest with his bending.

“Why are you doing this, Stone!” Bolin shouted, redirecting the tendrils towards the scarred man. Stone avoided the counterattack, slamming a foot into the ground. A pillar of earth shot up from under Bolin’s feet, but the lavabender avoided it just in time. Jumping to the side and rolling to his feet.

“Why not?” Stone Feng’s reply was nearly drowned out by the sound of tearing metal, as he used his bending to off the doors of two nearby cars and hurled them in Korra’s direction.

“Shit!” The Avatar cursed, rolling beneath the objects. She shot out a foot, and sent out a long stream of flame. The scarred man froze for a split second, before starting to bring up an earthen shield. But he was too slow. The flames slammed into his chest, sending him toppling backwards. He let out a panicked shout, desperately ripping at the fabric of his burning coat. Korra got to her feet and glanced at Bolin. The lavabender gave a short nod, and they approached the prone murderer together slowly.

Stone Feng finally freed himself of his jacket, tossing the still burning leather as far as he could. He was breathing heavily, as he got to his feet again. An involuntary gasp escaped the Avatar, as she took in the sight of him. Stone’s bare torso was covered in similar scars as his face, the worst of which were located on his right side. While they were clearly healed, the skin still had a blackened tinge in some places, especially the skin right above his metallic hand. But it was his eyes that truly captivated her: pale grey and burning with an intensity that she’d seen only once before.

“I remember you now.” She said, quietly enough so only he could hear it. “It was four years ago, and it was only for a moment. But I’d recognize that look anywhere.” A brief image of a man covered in thick bandages flashed in her mind, as she spoke.

“Guess it helps that I’m not covered in medical wrappings anymore.” Stone chuckled. “But don’t think that changes anything here. Like I said, I don’t have any issues with you. Spirits, you gave me my life back!” He paused, swallowing loudly. For a brief moment, the burning intensity in his eyes faltered, but only for a moment. “But, I’m in too deep now to let anyone stand in my way, including you Avatar.”

“I’m sorry that it has to be this way.” Korra sighed, bowing her head slightly, then slipped into a firebending form. Stone returned the gesture, and settled into his own stance. He made the first move, ripping up a slab of concrete and sending it towards her. Korra sidestepped the object, lashing out with a fire punch. Stone rolled under the blast, and earthbent a dozen pieces of pavement into the air. He let out a series of short kicks and punches, sending a first-sized piece of earth towards her with each one.

The Avatar ducked and dodge as many objects as she could, using her earthbending to redirect those she couldn’t. She caught a glimpse of movement in her peripheral, and watched as Bolin jumped forward, fists extended in front of him. The pavement of the street melted away in brilliant orange and red lava, which raced towards the scarred man. Stone’s eyes widened in surprise, backpedaling wildly. Behind him, two metalbenders rushed forward, aiming their cables towards him. Somehow, Stone managed to notice their approach, and earthbent a pillar from directly beneath his feet.

He flipped through the air, using an earthen slide to break his fall, and rolled to his feet right behind the officers. Stone outstretched his hands, clenching his fingers slightly. Both officers froze, arms still outstretched awkwardly.

“I’ll never understand why you people insist on wearing metal.” He said, slowly tightening his fingers. Korra watched in horror, as the metal of their armor began to ripple and bend inwardly. “It’s almost as if you never expect to encounter another metalbender.”

“Let them go!” A female voice shouted. There was a flash of a light blue pantsuit, then a figure appeared at Stone’s side. He turned to face her, but was too slow. The woman lunged, driving a long bladed knife into his gut, before jumping straight backwards and rolling away. The distraction was just long enough for the two officers to break free and stumble away towards the bar. Korra frowned slightly. That voice sounded oddly familiar, and she knew she had seen that exact pantsuit before.

“You stupid little insect!” Stone Feng growled, dropping to one knee. His metallic hand was clasped over the wound, crimson streams pouring over his fingers. The Avatar pushed her wandering thoughts away, and approached the now kneeling man. Stone’s heavily scarred face was twisted in agony, as he tried to stem the flow of blood with his hand.

“It’s over, Feng, just surrender and I’ll heal you myself.” Korra said, holding her hand up in a signal for Bolin and the remaining officers to stand down. Stone Feng looked down at the rapidly growing pool of blood at his feet. “There’s no reason for you to die like this; bleeding to death in front of some crappy bar.”

“I suppose you’re right.” He said, letting out a pained laugh. “But, where would the fun be in that?” Without warning, he drew back his metallic hand and plunged it into the ground. Korra rushed forward, just as a hole ripped in the ground beneath him, and Stone Feng plunged into the darkness below. Korra raced towards the hole and leapt into it without a second thought. She landed in one of the hundreds of tunnels that made Republic City’s underground. The roar of a motorcycle’s engine caught her attention, and she turned in time to see a faint tail light fade as it rounded a corner.

Cursing, Korra ran a hand through her hair. She stood in the tunnel, until she could no longer hear the engine’s roar. With a heavy sigh, she earthbent her way up out of the tunnel. A light rain had begun to fall in the short time she’d been underground. A thin layer of water coated the torn up street and dead bodies. The scene brought up memories of Kurvira’s attack on Republic City. She shook the memories away, and looked around for Bolin, finding him kneeling over a prone form nearby. Korra approached him slowly. The closer she got, the better look she had of the other person.

“Ming?” The Avatar asked in surprise. The assistant was laying with her back against a car, her left arm cradled awkwardly in her lap. Bolin wore an expression that displayed exactly Korra was feeling inside: a mixture of confusion, worry and anger. Stone Feng was killing Equalists, so if Ming was at the scene then that would mean: “You’re an Equalist?”

“Yes.” Ming replied, frowning sadly. “I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell you, but with the murders it just wasn’t safe.”

“They’ve only been going on for a week.” Korra retorted. The tangled storm of emotions inside her was beginning to be replaced by betrayal. Then her gaze dropped to the other woman’s arm. Ming’s wrist was swollen and bent at an odd angle. “Never mind, we’ll discuss that later.” The Avatar sighed, as she waterbent the rain into a large globe over her head and knelt down before her. The water began to glow a brilliant blue, as she directed it to Ming’s wrist, wrapping it around the joint entirely and gently coaxing it into a soft current. She could sense Ming’s own tangled emotions, through her connection with the other woman’s chi. “There, it should be good for now. But, I recommend seeing a doctor just in case.”

“Thank you.” Ming muttered.

“I’ll go, and round up any other witnesses.” Bolin said, getting to his feet. “You should probably find a phone and let the Chief and Lin know what happened here.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” Korra replied, standing up and helping Ming to her feet as she did. “Then, you and I are gonna have a talk.” She said to the other woman, before heading into the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here’s the action-packed chapter that I promised. Sorry it took so long, but there was a lot that needed doing for this to come together properly. Especially with the two separate timelines, which I promise are now just the same one after this. It was just the only way to write this chapter, given that Asami and Mako’s fight happened way earlier than the main one did.
> 
> Still, I hope you enjoyed it!


	10. Chapter Ten: Dreams and Disappearances

Chapter Ten  
Dreams and disappearances

Deep in the belly of Republic City’s underground lived a waterbender named Kuruk. He was known only to a very select group of people, criminals and other nefarious types mostly. But, also people who wanted to be healed without all the attention that going to one of the City’s hospitals would provide. So it was that Kuruk had carved out his own slice of heaven, he’d had one of his earthbending clients put up walls to seal off a small piece of a drainage tunnel for the waterbender’s home. Kuruk was a short man, with the deeply tanned skin and dark hair of the Water Tribe, as well as the golden eyes most common in the Fire Nation.

His parents had once told him that they’d named him after a previous Avatar. Though he doubted they’d have given him that honor, if they knew the life he would end up living. He smiled at the irony. The sound of shuffling footsteps disturbed Kuruk’s relaxation. He eased himself out of his chair, sighing as his joints cracked loudly. The constant dampness from living in a drainage tunnel didn’t help his aching body, but the elderly waterbender didn’t care much for people in general. Loud knocking sounded at the door.

“Yeah, yeah, I hear you!” Kuruk grumbled, forcing his stiff legs to cooperate. “I’m coming, damn you!” None of his clients seemed to understand that a man his age needed extra time to move about. He unbolted and opened the door, glaring at the person on the other side. His pale gold eyes fell upon a muscular man of imposing size. The man stared down at the elderly waterbender through intense grey eyes. “Ah, it’s you again!” Kuruk said, stepping aside and gesturing vaguely. The man limped his way inside.

“I apologize for the late hour.” He said. Now that he was in the light, Kuruk could get a better look at him. The man’s heavily scarred torso was bare, except for thick improvised bandages, made of what looked like an old blanket, that were wrapped around his gut, which were already stained crimson.

“You don’t look so good, old friend.” Kuruk said, clicking his tongue. “I take it you have my usual fee?” The scarred man tossed a bag to the waterbender.

“Ten thousand yuans, in coinage, as agreed.” Stone Feng grunted. “Count it, if you’d like.” He added. Kuruk smirked in response. Years of experience had taught him to ascertain that his payment was correct by weight alone. Besides, it looked like the man would die if he tried counting it all out, and dead bodies weren’t his forte.

“No need, I trust you.” Kuruk said, and gestures towards a shallow pool that was carved out near one wall. “You know the drill.” Stone Feng stood, grunting as he did, then began to strip himself down to his boxers. “Those will have to go as well,” Kuruk added, motioning to the bandages. “I’ll need to get a good view of the wound.” The scarred man tore them off with a grunt, then lowered himself painfully into the pool.

“Gut wounds are tricky.” The elderly man said, more to himself than his client. He twirled his hands around, coaxing the water into a gentle rhythmic current. “They’re always painful to heal and have a tendency to become infected.” A faint blue glow filled Kuruk’s ramshackle home. “This’ll be painful, so don’t be surprised if you pass out.” Even as he spoke, he saw the man’s grey eyes drift closed. The waterbender sighed to himself. He much preferred it this way, his client unconscious while he worked. He found it downright irritating when they insisted on asking him needless questions while he worked. While he understood that they were simply seeking comfort, the endless prodding only served to distract him.

While he had been correct that the wound would be tricky, his experience with them over the years made the process much quicker. He sealed the stab wound without much difficulty, triple checking to ensure the healed flesh would hold, then allowed the water to settle. He picked up his bag of coins and limped back to his chair, sitting down with a deep sigh.

“Wh-what happened?” Stone Feng asked, as he woke. Kuruk watched him with mild curiosity. He was sitting in his chair, halfway counting through the coinage in his lap.

“You came here for healing, so I healed you.” Kuruk said, rolling his eyes. “You were out longer than I expected you to be though. What were you dreaming of?”

“Fire.” The scarred man replied, hauling himself out of the pool. He dried off and pulled back on his leather pants. “I was dreaming of fire.”

“Right, well I sealed the wound. But that flesh is still weakened, so don’t go doing anything strenuous or you’ll rip it open again.” Kuruk said, as Stone Feng began to leave. “I’ll charge you double if I have to heal that same wound a second time!” The door slammed behind the scarred man, and Kuruk sighed in relief. “Finally.” He muttered to himself, turning back to his task of counting his earnings.

—

The rain had only gotten worse in the hour since Stone Feng’s attack on the Crimson Moon. The bar was empty, save for six people: Detective Bolin, Chief Saikhan, Lin Beifong, Buttercup Raiko, Ming Shu and Avatar Korra. The six of them were seated at a round table in the center of the bar. Tension hung in the air between them, thick enough to cut with a knife. As promised, Avatar Korra had phoned both the current and former Chiefs of Police and informed them of what had happened.

Meanwhile, Bolin had searched the street for any witnesses who would be willing to make statements. But other than the same description of how Stone Feng had appeared seemingly out of nowhere and attacked with warning, he didn’t get much. Chief Saikhan and Lin had arrived shortly after that. Saikhan had brought what appeared to be every metalbending officer in Republic City, while Lin had brought along some retired officers as well. Within a matter of ten minutes, eight city blocks all around the Crimson Moon had been shut down, while a trained badger-mole unit had gone underground in hopes of picking up Stone’s trail.

So far, neither effort had produced anything useful. The tunnels were simply too vast for even a badger-mole to search, if the murderer was even still underground to begin with. To say that they were frustrated would be an understatement. Korra in particular was battling a dark mood. She’d had him, and she’d been unable to stop him from getting away. If I had just been a little faster. She thought, grinding her teeth.

Ming and Buttercup seemed to sense the growing aggravation in the air, and had suggested that now was the time for them all to sit down and talk. Which had brought the six of them into the bar, while the officers outside removed the bodies and did their best to fix the road.

“So, who’s going first?” Lin Beifong said, tapping her fingers against the table top.

“I probably should.” Buttercup Raiko replied, sighing. She straightened her shirt and clasped her hands in her lap. “Obliviously, I am an Equalist. I was one of the fools who bought into Amon’s grandiose schemes. It wasn’t until much later, that I finally realized he was just another tyrant.”

“Then why didn’t you turn on him then?” Bolin asked, frowning.

“Because Amon had a secret group of true fanatics who were in charge of policing the rest of us.” The former First Lady explained. “If there was ever any whispers of dissent within the ranks, then they’d be sent in to investigate. Any and all suspected conspirators were never seen again.”

“After Amon was finally gone,” Buttercup continued. “I took over as the main leadership for the movement. But I didn’t want a repeat of the past, which is why I made it so that we no longer have just one leader, but several. So that way, no one person can make all the decisions.”

“Not that it’s been easy.” Ming added. “Believe it or not, but Amon still has supporters in the movement. They’re few, but determined.”

“And I take it, these supporters want what he did?” Saikhan asked.

“Exactly.” Buttercup answered, nodding. “But, the majority of the Equalist movement no longer wants a violent overthrow. We’re perfectly happy with seeking legal options instead.”

“Does Asami know?” Korra asked, finally breaking her self-imposed silence. The Avatar had been watching the exchange intently. As far as she could tell, neither woman was lying. But she needed to know. She’d directed her question towards her wife’s assistant, training her gaze on the fellow Water Tribe native.

“No, she doesn’t.” Ming Shu whispered, lowering her head. “I just hope that she can forgive me for that.”

“I’m sure she will, eventually.” Korra sighed. “It’s Mako you should be more concerned about though.” Ming nodded, a grim look on her face. “So, unless you two have anything else to tell us, I don’t see any reason in continuing with this discussion.”

“I agree with the Avatar.” Chief Saikhan added. The six of them exchanged farewells, before departing from the bar. Ming and Buttercup left together, as did Saikhan and Lin. Which left Bolin and Korra by themselves. The earthbender had only just discovered the damage to his police issue car.

“Sweet spirits, it’s gonna take forever to repair this!” He whined. Korra bit back a laugh.

“I’m sure it’ll be okay, Bo.” She said, patting him on the shoulder lightly. Her friend continued to pout, as he stared at his beloved vehicle. “I can walk you home, if you’d like?”

“Nah, you go on ahead.” He replied, waving vaguely. “I still have paperwork to do back at the station anyways, and I can easily catch a ride from one of the other officers.”

“Suit yourself.” Korra shrugged, retrieving her glider from the backseat of the ruined vehicle.

“Oh, before you leave,” Bolin said, suddenly perking up. “I hear congratulations are in order!” He took her hand tightly in both of his. “I know it won’t be easy, but I also know that you’ll make a great mom.”

“Thanks, Bo.” The Avatar smiled. “But are you ever going to pop the question to Opal?” She added, elbowing him playfully. Bolin sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

“I know, I know!” He protested. “I’m gonna do it, eventually.” Korra smirked and pulled him into a rough hug, before unfolding her glider and leaping into the air. By the time she finally reached the Sato Estate, Korra’s exhaustion began to set in. Her eyelids felt like they had weights attached to them, and she fought back a yawn. Deciding that unlocking the front door was too much work, she angled herself towards their bedroom balcony instead. She landed with far less grace than she’d intended, nearly sending the table through the glass doors.

“Sprits!” She cursed, as her left foot collided with a chair. She hopped on one foot, whispering every fowl word she knew under her breath. Eventually, the pain in her foot lessened, and she placed it on the ground. “Remind me not to fly while exhausted again.” She muttered to herself, wincing as she put some weight on her foot. The Avatar limped towards balcony doors, using her metalbending to unlock them.

“Hey, ‘Sami, I’m home!” Korra called, switching on the bedroom lights. She frowned. The bedroom was empty, looking exactly the way it had when they’d left that morning. Except for a small note resting on her pillow. The Avatar limped towards it and picked it up, reading it out loud to herself: “Korbear, went out on a mission with Mako. Will probably be out all night, so don’t worry. Love, Asami.” She smiled. Even when she was in a rush, her wife was always thoughtful enough to make sure Korra knew what was going on.

“Please be safe, babe.” Korra muttered, sighing and setting down the note. She turned towards the bathroom, wondering if she had the energy to bathe before sleep. Then she remembered that Asami absolutely hated it when she’d tracked dirt into the bed last time, and it was an easy choice. Propping her glider against the wall, Korra stripped off her clothes and took a quick shower. Once she was done, she switched off the lights and collapsed onto the mattress with a deep sigh. The Avatar didn’t even have time to slip under the covers, before sleep took hold of her.

—

“Korra!” Asami’s voice rang out from the bedroom behind her. The Avatar stood on the balcony that was attached to the CEO’s bedroom. She smiled, as she watched the sunrise. “Seriously, darling, we need to get going soon if we want to meet Tenzin.”

“I know, Asami, I just needed a moment.” Korra sighed, turning slowly to face the other woman. Asami Sato was standing in the doorway, wearing a black skirt suit with red trimming. The raven haired woman was busy clasping a shawl around her shoulders. She looked up and smiled. It was still so much to take in. They’d only returned from the Spirit World the other day, and had been nearly overwhelmed by everything that happened between Wonyong Kuem and the dragon-eel spirit. “Thanks again, for letting me crash here.”

“Of course.” Asami said, she finished with her shawl and approached the Avatar slowly. Korra leaned up to kiss her chastely. Both women wore a look of bliss as they separated. “I still can’t believe that I get to do that.”

“Neither can I.” Korra agreed. The rumble of her stomach spoiled their moment. “Guess we should probably get moving.” Asami chuckled, then led them downstairs towards the kitchen. Halfway there, the main caretaker of the Sato Estate, an elderly man by the name of Wong, waved them down with a smile.

“Ah, there you are!” He said, bowing as they approached. “I do apologize for interrupting your morning, Ms. Sato and Avatar Korra, but there’s a gentleman at the door asking for you.” Wong explained.

“Asking for whom?” Asami inquired. Wong gestured to Korra. “Thank you, Wong. If that’s all, you may return to your usual duties.” With another bow, the man left. Asami turned a confused look to the Avatar. “Did you tell anyone that you were going to be here?”

“I might’ve mentioned it to Tenzin, but I don’t think anybody else would know.” Korra replied, scratching her head in confusion. The two women approached the front door with caution. Korra pulled it open and was rather relieved to see a simple messenger standing on the porch.

“I’m so sorry to intrude this early.” The messenger said, as soon as they came into view. “But, I was told to find Avatar Korra as soon as possible.”

“Well, you’ve found her.” Korra replied with a wave and a small smile. The man bowed, then handed her a letter. Without another word, he spun on his heel and rushed back to the motorcycle he’d ridden on. Korra watched him leave curiously, before opening the envelope.

“What’s it say?” Asami asked, after a moment of silence.

“There’s somebody who wants to meet me,” Korra said quietly, staring at the page. “According to this, he’s at Republic City Mercy Hospital, and that he’s too weak to come to me or he would’ve done so already.”

“Well, let’s go meet up with Tenzin first,” Asami sighed, frowning. “Unless there’s a specific time this person wants to meet?”

“No, which is kinda weird.” The Avatar narrowed her eyes, as she inspected both the letter and the envelope it had come in. “Just that it should happen ‘at the Avatar’s earliest convenience’ and it’s signed by someone called Stone Feng. Do we know anybody by that name?” She asked, turning to the other woman.

“Not the first name, though Feng sounds familiar for some reason.” Asami answered, biting her lip thoughtfully. “I don’t know why, but I’m certain that I’ve heard it before.” Korra folded up the letter and stuffed it in her pants pocket. Whoever and whatever this mysterious person wanted would have to wait until after they’d dealt with the refugees.

As soon as they’d finished up with their meeting with President Raiko, Korra and Asami headed straight to Republic City Mercy Hospital. Korra was silently surprised that Asami had decided to come along, assuming that her girlfriend would’ve had other things to do. The hospital was thankfully undamaged by Kurvira’s attack. It stood four stories tall and was one of the oldest buildings in Republic City. The doors were opened by a metalbending officer, and the duo approached a small receptionist desk.

“Good afternoon, we’re looking for someone named Stone Feng?” Asami asked the nearest nurse.

“Sure thing, are you his family?” The woman replied.

“No, but I’m Avatar Korra.” Korra explained, taking the letter. “Mr. Feng sent this letter, saying he wanted to meet me for something, but that he couldn’t leave the hospital yet.” The nurse’s face lit up at her words.

“Oh, that’s right!” She proclaimed, smiling broadly. “Sorry, but I’d nearly forgotten. He had me write up that letter nearly a month ago, but I really didn’t think you’d ever get it. Let alone that you’d show up. Here, just follow me!” The nurse led them towards a nearby elevator, which they rode to the fourth floor. “Mr. Feng has been my patient for years now.”

“What happened to him?” Asami asked.

“Lost his family during the Equalist attack on the City.” The nurse answered, as the elevator doors slid open. She led them down a long hallway, as she continued to speak. “According to him, one of the bombs hit their apartment. He was the only survivor, and has been stuck here ever since, the poor man. Here’s his room.”

“Thank you.” Korra sighed, looking at the faded mahogany. It was marked with the number 432. She glanced at Asami. “I can handle this part myself. I’ll be fine, I promise.” The CEO frowned, but nodded her approval. The Avatar opened the door slowly and stepped inside. Beyond the door was exactly what she’d expected: a small room with plain white walls and a single bed. There was a window opposite the doorway, with a wheelchair parked in front of it. A figure was slumped in the chair. “Hello?” Korra asked, as she stepped into the room.

“I told you already, I don’t need anything.” A raspy voice replied.

“Not even from the Avatar?” Korra replied. A large, deeply tanned hand reached out and gripped the wheel on the left side. The chair turned slowly. Korra bit her cheek to keep from gasping. A large man was sitting in the chair, or what was assumed was a man. It was hard to tell under the thick layer of medical bandages that covered his entire torso, from head to waistline. His right arm was heavily bandaged as well, and ended in a stump halfway down his forearm. The only thing she could see were his eyes. They were grey and carried a look she’d recognize anywhere: the look of someone who’d lost everything they’d ever had in the world. This has to be Stone Feng. Korra thought.

“And they said that you’d never come.” Stone chuckled, humorlessly. “I’d get up to shake your hand, but I don’t think my body is strong enough to move just yet.”

“It’s alright.” Korra replied, walking towards him slowly. “What is it you need from me, Mr. Feng?” Stone’s eyes bored into her with a familiar intensity. She’d seen it in her own eyes, while she had been wandering the world looking for Raava.

“My bending.” He answered. “Amon took it while I was still unconscious and half-dead, and I was hoping that you’d give it back. It was all I had, and I was damned talented with it too. So, I figured that it could help me recover quicker, if I had it back.”

“I know that feeling.” Korra sighed, memories of her own recovery flashing in her mind. “Okay, I’ll do it.” She came to a stop before him and squatted slightly. “I’ll have to touch you for this.” She warned. Stone nodded for her to continue. Korra placed two fingers to Stone’s forehead, and another two above his heart. The man hissed at the contact, but otherwise didn’t react. “You’ll feel a slight tug, then a rush of energy as your bending comes back. I recommend trying to use it the moment I’m done, just in case.” Then, after taking a deep breath to relax herself, Korra slipped into the Avatar State, and closed her eyes.

Immediately, she could sense the man’s energy. It was a tangled storm of emotions: pain, anxiety, anger, grief and most of all, loss. Ignoring the emotions that swirled and raged around her, Korra looked for the very center of Stone Feng’s being. There, she found what she’d been looking for. The usual dull green glow of earthbending glowed in the man’s chest, though it was blocked by Amon’s bloodbending. She lifted the blockage easily, and retreated into herself, releasing the Avatar State as she did so. When she opened her eyes again, Stone’s grey ones were still staring at her. Though they had a look of wonder and amazement in them, instead of the cold intensity she’d seen before. He raised his remaining hand towards the bed.

“It worked!” He laughed, as his bending made the bed's metal frame twist slightly.

“That it did.” Korra replied, smiling. “But, I suggest taking it easy for a few days. Your body needs to get used to the flow of chi again.”

“Thank you, Avatar Korra, thank you!” Stone praised her, as she left the room.

—

Korra woke with a start. It had been a long time since she’d had a dream that vivid, let alone that particular one. The Avatar ran a hand through her hair, sighing. A feeling of regret settled in her chest, as she replayed the memory in her mind. It was definitely a memory, not a dream. Of that, she was absolutely certain. She’d given Stone Feng his bending back, then he’d gone out and murdered people with it. If only she hadn’t done that.

“No.” She muttered, rolling over into her side, and reaching out towards Asami’s side of the bed. Instead of meeting the warm body she’d been expecting, she found only a cold mattress. Her eyes flew open. The bedroom was dark, save for a thin strip of sunlight that managed to get past the curtains. It fell across the bed, revealing that her wife’s usual spot was empty, and the bedding was untouched. Frowning, Korra sat up and got to her feet. “Asami?” She called, checking the bathroom and walk-in closet.

The Avatar dressed quickly, pulling on the same sleeveless blue vest and loose pants that she’d worn the day before. She styled her hair in the way Asami enjoyed so much, a single braid in the back with twin wolf tails framing her face. Once she was dressed, she went out into the hall to begin searching the rest of the mansion. She found no signs of her wife, but managed to track down Wong instead.

“Good morning, Mrs. Sato!” The man greeted, warmly. “Or should I say good afternoon?”

“Have you seen Asami?” Korra asked, forgetting her manors as her anxiety began to rise. Asami’s note had mentioned that she’d be out late, but the Avatar had expected to find some sign of her wife’s return by now.

“No, I haven’t.” Wong replied, frowning. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure.” She sighed. “Do me a favor and tell her that I’m looking for her, if she comes back.” Korra turned and hurried back to their bedroom to retrieve her glider. She flew down to the workshop, but hesitated at the door. She hadn’t gone in there since the night they found out that Hiroshi was an Equalist. A familiar wave of guilt rose in her chest, but she shoved it aside. She needed to find her wife. Opening the door, Korra was met by only silence. Asami had made some minor changes to the workshop, but left the rest untouched.

“Asami?” Korra asked, as she looked around. The workshop was empty. Her gaze dropped to the hidden door built into the floor. “No, she’d never go in there.” She sighed. Asami hated the underground factory more than anything, since it only ever reminded her of her father’s darker side. She’d had the entrance sealed off with Korra’s earthbending after the two had moved in together, anyway. Sighing, Korra left the workshop and stopped at the garage, before flying off towards Future Industries Tower. She landed on the small balcony outside Asami’s office.

Using her metalbending, the Avatar unlocked the glass doors and stepped inside. A quick search of the top floor revealed no trace of the CEO, however. Now Korra was truly feeling worried. Maybe she went to Mako and Bolin’s place. She thought. She left the Tower, locking up after herself. It was a short flight to the Dragon Flats, and an even shorter walk to the small two story home the bending brothers shared.

“Guys, open up!” Korra shouted, pounding heavily on the door. Both men had a tendency to sleep deeply. After nearly ten minutes of waiting, the door finally opened to reveal a very annoyed looking Opal. The airbender was wearing a white rob and looked very tired. “I’m sorry to wake you, but have you seen Asami?” Korra said, before Opal could speak. “I can’t find her anywhere, and I’m starting to get worried.”

“Uh, no I haven’t.” The airbender replied. “Look, come on in, it’ll be easier to talk over a cup of tea.” Korra followed her inside, propping her glider beside the door. Bolin was waiting for them in the kitchen. He was still wearing the white tank top and boxers he slept in.

“Hey, Kor.” He yawned, giving a small wave.

“Hey, have you seen Asami?” Korra asked.

“Mako left a note saying she was going with him on a mission, I think.” Bolin replied, shrugging. “But, no, I haven’t seen her myself. I can go see if he’s up yet, if you’d like?” Korra nodded, and Bolin turned to head up the stairs.

“Are you okay?” Opal asked, as she handed the Avatar a steaming mug of tea. Korra shook her head slowly, frowning. “I’m so sorry, Korra. I’m sure she’s okay.” Korra allowed herself to be pulled into a hug, before sitting down and taking a drink of her tea.

“I’m probably just overreacting,” Korra sighed, twirling the mug in her hands. “I mean she’s worked late nights before, but she always either comes back home or falls asleep in her office. I checked everywhere I know, except Air Temple Island, but I can’t think of any reason why she’d go there. I came here because she left a note mentioning that she’d gone on a mission with Mako, so I assumed that she would’ve crashed here if she couldn’t make it home.”

“Well Bolin mentioned that Mako left a note too.” Opal replied, setting aside her empty mug. As if on cue, Bolin came back down the stairs. A look of confusion on his face. The airbender frowned in concern. “Bo, baby, you okay?”

“He’s not there.” The earthbender muttered, lowering himself until he was sitting on the bottom step. “Mako’s room is empty and the bed is exactly the same as he left it this morning.” As he spoke, Korra felt her heart drop into her stomach, to be replaced by a painful twinge of worry in her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait on this one, but this one took longer than I thought to write out and then edit. Hope you enjoy! Also let me know what you think of the story so far. I’d love to get your feedback.


	11. Chapter Eleven: Consequences

The first thing Asami noticed was the pain. A deep, all encompassing ache that throbbed throughout her body. As if every one of her muscles had cramped at once. The second thing she noticed was that she couldn’t move. Every time she tried, she was met with stiff resistance on her wrists, ankles, and around her torso. A gag was seated firmly in her mouth. She assumed that she was tied to a chair, given that she was stuck in a sitting position. At first, her sluggish mind mistook her predicament as one of her and Korra’s sexual games.

But then the memories of the previous night began to slowly come back to her. Groaning softly, she forced her eyelids open. She was in a small, undecorated room. Based on the fact that the walls and floor were made of concrete, she assumed that it was in some kind of factory. She was facing one of the plain walls, and guessed that the door was behind her. Asami turned her head around as she tried to inspect the chair she was secured to. Thin black ropes were wrapped around her limbs and torso. She was mildly disappointed in the knot work, however. I can slip these easily enough, just need to get one hand free first. She thought.

Asami didn’t know exactly how long she’d been unconscious, but assumed that it had been several hours, judging by the hunger clawing at her innards and dryness in her throat. Hopefully somebody will be by soon. She thought, as she also noticed her need to relieve herself. Asami passed the time by counting the cracks in the concrete floor. She’d just gotten to forty-nine, when the faint sound of footsteps sounded from somewhere behind her. Finally! She tried to turn her head far enough to see the door, but could only make out a hazy outline on the very edge of her peripheral vision.

The heavy metal door opened on squealing hinges, and a trio of figures stepped into the room. Asami turned her head, as the trio moved in front of the chair she was bound to. All three were dressed in full Equalist uniforms. She stared up at them with all the fury she could muster. Until they removed their masks, that is. The first figure was Lee Fire, the man wore a smug look on his face. The second figure was a woman who had similar features as Lee. But it was the third who really surprised her.

“You?” Asami said, after Lee Fire leaned forward and tugged down her gag.

“Yes, me.” Buttercup Raiko replied, as the former First Lady folded up her mask. “Welcome to our little abode, Mrs. Sato. I’m glad you’re finally awake.”

“Why am I here?” Asami asked, glaring at each figure in turn. None of them seemed to be affected by her stare, however. The second woman produced a folding chair, and unfolded it in front of Asami. Buttercup seated herself, crossing her left leg over the other.

“Because, Stone Feng sent us a very clear message.” The older woman explained. “That he wanted you. So, the hope is, if we simply give him what he wants, he’ll stop killing us.” Asami tried and failed to hold back her laughter. The three Equalists stared at her in confusion.

“Then you’re a damned moron.” She sighed, once she managed to stifle her mirth. “Honestly, it’s like this City doesn’t remember that only four years ago I wasn’t the only Sato in the world. He was referencing my father, not me.”

“If that’s what you have to tell yourself so you can sleep at night.” The second woman laughed.

“Yeah, that’s too much of a coincidence.” Lee Fire added. He began to pace until he was standing somewhere behind her.

“Regardless of what any of you think,” Buttercup continued, ignoring them all. “The deal’s been made, and now we simply have to wait for his reply.” Asami leaned her head back slightly, staring up at the ceiling.

“You’ll never get that opportunity.” She said, calmly. “Not once Korra realizes that I’m missing.” She lowered her head and was surprised to see concern flashing in Buttercup’s eyes. “What, did you forget who I was married to? Or did you honestly think that the Avatar wouldn’t come down on this place like the one-woman army she is?”

“We’ll handle her, if and when she finds us.” The second woman replied coldly.

“Then I correct myself.” Asami chuckled. “You’re the moron, not Buttercup. At least she seems to understand what she’s gotten herself into.” The woman surged forward, slamming her fist into Asami’s face. The CEO’s head rocked back from the force, and she tasted blood in her mouth. “So you’re a hothead, good to know.” Asami smirked, spitting a glob of bloody phlegm in the woman’s direction.

“I believe that’s all the conversation we need for today.” Buttercup said, moving to stand up.

“Wait, where’s Mako?” Asami demanded. “The man I was with when you captured me.” She added, seeing their confusion.

“Ah, the firebender!” Buttercup got to her feet, as she spoke. “He’s here, just in a more secure room.” She turned and started towards the door. “Don’t worry, I’ll have him brought by so you two can chat.” The door opened as she and Lee Fire left the room.

“Will you at least let me up, so I can use a bathroom?” Asami asked the woman who had punched her. The woman glared at her in silent fury, then tugged her gag back into place and left the room. Well, shit. Asami thought, as the door slammed behind her.

—

Asami did her best to ignore the uncomfortable dampness of her trousers and the puddle beneath her. A mix of shame and rage swirled around in her chest like a hurricane. Shame at what she’d done. And rage over the fact that she’d been forced to do so. The CEO turned her attention to trying to free herself, hoping that the simple action would help ease her inner turmoil. As she had suspected, her captors didn’t seem to know how to tie knots properly. In a matter of minutes, she’d managed to wriggle her right hand out its binding.

She’d just reached over to free her left, when the sound of approaching footsteps sounded behind her. Moving quickly, Asami slipped her free hand back beneath the rope. She silently hoped that they wouldn’t inspect her bindings too closely. The same three figures stepped into the room, though Lee Fire and the other woman carried a fourth person between them. Buttercup Raiko unfolded a metal chair and placed it two feet away from Asami, with it facing the CEO. Lee Fire and his companion lowered the fourth figure into the chair.

Asami let out a soft gasp. The person they had been carrying was Mako, and the Sergeant-Detective looked horrible. He was still wearing his police uniform, though it was torn in several places and looked to be wet. Blood covered his neck and chest, and the cut on his face was crushed over in deep crimson. His hands were secured in platinum gloves, rendering them useless and matching shackles were attached to his ankles. The firebender’s skin was deathly pale and his lips were blue, his limbs trembled uncontrollably.

“What did you do to him?” Asami demanded, once her gag had been removed again. It took every ounce of her self-control to resist the urge to reach out with her freed hand and throttle Buttercup.

“Relax, we just cooled him down a little.” Lee Fire chuckled darkly. “Couldn’t risk him using his bending in here, after all.” Asami frowned deeply. So there’s some kind of ice-box here? She thought. Maybe it’s not a factory, but some kind of meat packing facility? She didn’t know much about the process, but she assumed that it would require having some way to preserve the meat until it could be sold.

“It-it’s f-fine, A-Asami.” Mako stuttered. The chains he was bound with rattled as his body shivered violently.

“We’ll leave you two to chat.” Buttercup teased, before leading her companions out of the room. Asami waited until the door shut and locked, before daring to speak again.

“Are you okay?” She asked, slipping her hand out of the bindings again. Mako eyed her curiously.

“I-I’m fine.” He sighed, shifting slightly. Asami began to work on loosening the knot on her left hand. “Wh-what about y-you?”

“Don’t worry about me.” She replied, trying to display her most confident smirk. Once she’d freed her left hand, an idea popped into her head. “Is there a handle on the door?” She asked. Mako looked up, then shook his head. “Shit.” Asami cursed quietly. She’d feared that the door would only open from the outside, but had been hoping that she’d be wrong. Her eyes fell on Mako during her inner discussion, and another realization hit her. Even if she did manage to completely free herself and take out one of their guards: her friend was in no condition to walk, let alone fight.

“I-I know th-that look.” Mako chuckled softly. “Y-you’re planning something.” The firebender seemed to stop shivering as much, but still looked very pale and weak. Asami smiled, sliding her hands back into their bindings.

“How good of an actor are you?” She asked.

“I once convinced a w-woman to buy me some c-cold medicine, because B-Bolin was sick.” Mako explained, a confused expression on his face. “W-Why do you ask?”

—

“Stone, darling, can you get the girls for me?” Mai asked, as she carried a large roasted possum-chicken towards the table. Stone Feng stood up from his perch on the couch. He’d just gotten off work at the police station, and was feeling more than a little relieved to have the next few days off with his family. With the rising tensions in the City, things like vacation time were becoming more and more scarce. Thank the spirits for sonority. He thought, smirking.

He found the triplets in their room, still fussing over the new dolls that he’d brought home for them. The trio had just celebrated their tenth birthday, though Stone had missed the occasion because of work, and the dolls were his gift. As always, it took him a moment to identify which girl was which. The trio had been born nearly perfectly identical: the same height, weight and build. They had their mother’s skin and hair color, and his eyes. Thankfully they didn’t have his looks, though. Stone had gotten his name due to his square jaw and chiseled face that barely showed emotion.

“Dad!” Mei said, jumping to her feet, followed by her sisters Wei and Oh. He hugged them.

“Easy now, or you’re going to break me.” He teased. The trio let him go with some reluctance. “Dinner’s on the table, so get washed up then come join your mother and I.” He ordered.

“Yes, Dad!” They replied. Sighing, Stone made his way back into the main part of his family’s apartment. It wasn’t much, but it was just big enough for the five of them. Mai was already in her seat, flipping through a newspaper boredly.

“Hello, darling.” She whispered, as Stone leaned down to kiss her head. He frowned when he saw the paper’s headline: Equality or Bust, what does the Equalist movement really stand for? “Things sure are getting wild out there, aren’t they?” Mai asked, following her husband's line of sight.

“You have no idea.” He replied, as he sank into the chair opposite her. “Lin’s got everybody working double time to try and find any leads on these Equalists. It doesn’t help much that our new Avatar doesn’t seem to care, though.” He said the last sentence with barely contained bitterness in his voice.

“Now, now, darling, she’s only a teenager.” Mai scolded him softly. “You can’t expect her to solve this City’s problems all by herself, let alone overnight.” He rolled his eyes. Leave it Mai to have unyieldingly faith in the Avatar. Even if the new incarnation was a hotheaded teen from the Southern Water Tribe.

“I know that, but it would be a serious morale boost if she at least showed some interest.” He grumbled. Mai opened her mouth to reply, but held back as the triplets came marching in. Mei sat closest to their mother, with Wei right beside her and Oh settling down next to Stone. “Alright, girls, who wants to say grace this time?” Stone asked, as he looked around at his family. Mai flashed him a playful wink, grinning.

“I will!” Oh said, waving her hand in the air. He motioned for his daughter to begin, as the family of five all closed their eyes and clasped their hands. “Thank you spirits, for this food and drink that you’ve offered us-“ The ten year old’s words were cut off by several loud booms coming from outside the apartment. Stone glanced at his wife, who wore a look of confusion that matched his own.

“Girls, stay here.” Mai said, as she and Stone stood and approached the nearest window. Mai opened the blinds and gasped. All around the building they lived in, bombs were dropping from the sky. Stone glanced up to see unfamiliar airships floating above Republic City. As he watched, several more bombs dropped from the nearest airship, detonating on the street below. “By the spirits!” Mai whispered, clasping a hand over her mouth.

A sudden and overbearingly loud crashing came from behind them, followed by startled screaming. Stone spun around to see that the dining room table had been broken in half. A large, cylindrical object was lying on top of what had been the family’s dinner. It was black in color, with the words 'Equality For All’ written in brilliant white lettering, with a half cog symbol beside the words. He watched in horror, as the triplets began moving towards it.

“Girls, no!” He shouted, as he and Mai lunged forward to stop them. His wife was faster. She reached them first, pulling them into a tight embrace and starting towards the door. Stone reached out with his right hand to grab his family, when the bomb finally went off. A blindingly bright flash of light filled his vision, at the same time as a deafening shockwave shook the apartment.

—

Stone Feng woke with a strangled shout. His chest heaved, and a cold sweat coated his body. The after effects of his nightmare still lingered in his mind. Imagines of a raging fire and explosion flashed behind his eyes, and the all too familiar stench of burning flesh filled his nostrils. He’d dreamt of that day again. He could still feel the shockwave that disintegrated his family, as well as the flames that had covered his body. He thanked the spirits every day that his family had been given a nearly instantaneous death.

Little Bastard meowed curiously, as Stone rolled off his makeshift bed and stood. He didn’t bother putting on his prosthetic hand, choosing instead to stumble into the tiny bathroom. Grabbing the photo from the wall, he walked back into what served as his bedroom and collapsed onto his bed, staring down at the photo. The cardboard boxes bowed, as Little Bastard landed next to him, large eyes watching him intently.

“At least they never had to see me like this.” He sighed, reaching over to pet the owl-cat with his stump. “But, spirits, I miss them even more every day.” A sudden, loud knocking shattered the silence that hung throughout the warehouse he called home. He stood with a tired sigh. Using his bending, he pulled on his metal hand and made his way warily downstairs. The knocking was coming from the entrance to the underground tunnel. Stone opened the grating with metalbending, but all he found was an empty tunnel. A small envelope had been tied to the ladder.

“Well, Little Bastard, either we’re haunted,” He muttered, as he bent down to retrieve the envelope. “Or our little hideaway isn’t a secret anymore.” He opened the envelope and took out a handwritten note, which he read aloud. “We have the one you want. Be at the dockside meatpacking district before dawn tomorrow to receive it.” Frowning, he inspected both the note and the envelope it had come in closely. The grumpy owl-cat watched him, curiosity flashing in its large eyes. “Huh, now I wonder what that’s supposed to mean.” Stone muttered, as he reread the note.

—

“Help! Help!” Asami shouted as loudly as she could. Meanwhile, Mako did his best to mimic a seizure. He’d fallen from his chair and was convulsing on the floor. If Asami didn’t know about their plan, then she might’ve actually believed his performance herself. She just hoped that their captors would be fooled by it. The metal door slammed open, and the same three figures came rushing inside. “Please, he needs help!” Asami begged, as Buttercup knelt down over Mako. The former First Lady did her best to hold the firebender still, until his convulsions stopped.

“What happened?” The other woman demanded, down down at Asami.

“I don’t know.” The CEO said, forcing as much fake concern into her voice as possible. “We were talking and then he just started shaking. I called for help when he fell to the floor. Please, he needs medical help!”

“I agree.” Buttercup sighed, getting to her feet. “Lee and I will take him to Republic City Mercy Hospital.”

“Isn’t there some place closer?” Asami demanded. “I swear if he dies, then I’ll fight you with every last ounce of strength I have. But if you help him, then I’ll comply willingly.”

“Easy, Mrs. Sato.” Buttercup replied, waving her hand vaguely. “That is the closest hospital to us. Come on, Lee, let’s get moving.” She and Lee then hoisted Mako up from the floor and out of the room.

“For your sake, he’d better be in actual danger.” The remaining woman said coldly. “That was a clever trick, by the way, asking if Mercy was the closest hospital.” The woman replaced Asami’s gag before leaving the room. Asami smiled at her small victory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, just got distracted with some other things. But I hope you enjoy!


	12. Chapter Twelve: Reparations

Mako tried his hardest to keep up the charade until they finally reached Republic City Mercy Hospital. Part of him was concerned that his captors had seen through it by now, especially given the close proximity they were in while crammed into the small delivery truck. Mako’s restraints had been secured to the floor by Buttercup Raiko, who was currently sitting across from him. While it was true that he was in a great deal of discomfort and pain, he was nowhere as bad off as Asami insisted he pretend to be.

The firebender forced himself to repeat the plan in his sluggish mind. Once he was in the hospital itself, he was to find the nearest phone and contact either Chief Saikhan, Bolin, Lin Beifong or Korra. After that, he would worry about getting his injuries taken care of. The most important part was making sure he stayed awake and lucid enough to tell the police everything he knew about his and Asami’s kidnapping. That was assuming, of course, that his Equalist captors intended to leave his side. As it was, Buttercup and Lee had been very attentive to him ever since they had left.

As expected, the inside of Republic City Mercy Hospital was busy that afternoon. Nurses and doctors hurried back and forth between the half dozen beds which lined either side of the corridor. Mako had been brought up to the third floor the moment his captors dropped him off, not even bothering to remove his bindings first.

“So sorry about the wait, sir.” A nurse said for the hundredth time. “But there was an attack last night, and we ended up taking in most of the victims. So things are a little bonkers today.”

“Really, it’s fine.” Mako replied, forcing a smile. The hospital staff had wrapped him in heavy blankets, after cutting off his soaked police uniform, in the hopes of bringing his body temperature back to a safe level. It must’ve been working, because the worst of his shaking had gone away and he could actually feel his feet again. “I’m mostly concerned about getting these off,” He explained, holding up his hands which were still trapped in the metallic gloves. “I have a very important phone call that I need to make, as soon as possible.”

“And believe me, I completely understand your urgency.” The nurse replied, flashing a reassuring smile. “I’ve already sent word for the hospital’s maintenance man to figure out how to remove those. In the meantime, however, I can make that call for you if you’d like?” She produced a pen and a notebook from her pocket. “I’ll even write down exactly what you want me to say.”

Mako opened his mouth to give out instructions, but hesitated. Who was he going to call? According to the staff, there’d been some kind of attack on a local bar which involved Stone Feng. So, he suspected that Chief Saikhan, Bolin and Lin Beifong would be too busy to take a call. Not to mention that they would’ve realized by now that he and Asami were missing. Oh, spirits, Korra must be losing her mind! He thought. Obviously the Avatar wouldn’t be anywhere reachable right now either. That only left one person, who he knew without a doubt would be near a phone.

“Her name is Ming Shu, and she’s my girlfriend.” He began.

—

For the second time that day, Ming Shu felt like her heart had stopped beating entirely. The first time had come when she’d opened her front door to find Bolin, Opal and Avatar Korra waiting on the stoop of her apartment. The trio wore looks of concern, which sent a chill crawling up her spine. She’d just opened her mouth to speak, when Bolin cut her off.

“I’m so sorry, Ming.” The earthbender began. “We would’ve come sooner, but we’ve been looking everywhere.”

“Looking for what?” Ming asked, frowning.

“Asami’s missing.” Korra answered, sorrow flashing in her eyes. “And we think Mako is too. We’ve checked everywhere else, so if he’s not here….” The Avatar left her voice trail off. They all knew what she’d been hinting at.

The realization that her boyfriend was missing had nearly been enough to break Ming. But, she’d been through worse in her life, or so she tried reminding herself. You got through being excommunicated by your father, and you can get through this as well. She thought. Still, she’d offered to stay home and help take calls, while the rest of Team Avatar tried hunting down leads in person. Once they’d finally left, Ming had collapsed face down onto her couch and screamed into a pillow. She was still lying there when the phone rang several hours later. Wiping the tears from her face, she sat up with a heavy sigh.

“Hello?” Ming answered.

“Sorry to bother you,” A female voice replied. The sound of distant conversations came over the line as well. “But is this Ming Shu?”

“Uh, yes it is.” The assistant said, raising an eyebrow curiously. Team Avatar had only just begun their search, so who could possibly be calling her already?

“Excellent! I'm a nurse here at Republic City Mercy Hospital, and I have a patient who insisted that I call you immediately.” The other woman explained. “His name is Mako, and he says that you're his girlfriend, is that right?”

“Yes! Yes, it is.” Ming said, a little too loudly. A strange surge of giddiness rose in her. He’s okay! She thought, smirking. And he introduced me as his girlfriend. The thought was suddenly soured by the fact that she still needed to tell him the truth. Well, not for long that is.

“Ms. Shu, are you still there?” The woman asked.

“Oh, yes. I’m still here, sorry.” Ming replied, chuckling. “It’s just I only found out he’d been missing a few hours ago, so it’s hard to believe that he’s already been found.”

“Yes, well he was in rough shape when he first arrived, but he’s getting stronger by the moment.” The nurse said. “So you’re more than welcome to come and see him, if you’d like.”

“Of course, I’ll be there in half an hour.” Ming said, getting to her feet. “And don’t worry about contacting the authorities, I’ll handle that.” Without another word, she hung up the phone and pulled on her shoes quickly. She didn’t even bother changing out of the simple white blouse and black skirt that she’d been lounging in. Once she was ready, she picked up the phone and left messages for Team Avatar at the police station and Air Temple Island, before rushing out of her apartment in the direction of New Downtown.

—

Half an hour later, Avatar Korra, Bolin, Chief Saikhan, Lin Beifong and Ming all met up together at Republic City Mercy Hospital. Kya was there as well, the master waterbender had been requested by the hospital staff to help heal the worst of Mako’s injuries.

“He’s still quite weak, those damn animals kept him in an ice-box of some kind for who knows how long.” Kya explained. The group stood in the hallway outside the Sergeant-Detective’s room. Korra gritted her teeth, as Kya informed them of the state her friend was in. She could only hope that Asami hadn’t suffered the same fate.

“Did he say who had taken him?” Lin asked.

“All he said about that is that he needed to tell you all about it directly.” Kya answered with a shrug. “Just don’t push him too hard, and don’t let him try standing up yet either. His muscles are still recovering from the cold.”

“We’ll be respectful, don’t worry.” Ming replied, smiling reassuringly. Korra was surprised by how well the other woman was handling the news. She knew that she and Mako had a romantic relationship, yet the other woman didn’t appear to be overly distressed. Maybe she just handles things differently. Korra thought, frowning slightly. Not that she could judge, the Avatar had nearly suffered an emotional breakdown when she’d heard that Asami was missing.

“You alright?” Bolin’s voice snapped Korra out of her wandering thoughts.

“Yeah, sorry, this is all just so much to take in at once.” She muttered softly. The earthbender nodded glumly. Korra turned her attention to Kya. “Can we go in now?” The healer motioned for them to go ahead, and Korra opened the door. Inside was a small, rather plain looking room. It had white walls and a small window that looked out at the city. Mako was lying on a narrow bed. His hands were wrapped in medical bandages and his skin was paler than usual. Dark circles stood out in sharp relief under his eyes.

“Hey guys.” He said, voice rapsing slightly. Ming rushed over to his side, taking one of his hands in her own gently. “I’ve missed you.” He leaned forward to kiss her lightly. Korra watched for a moment, before turning away. The sight only served to remind her that her beloved Asami was still missing.

“Ah-hem!” Lin cleared her throat loudly. Ming and Mako broke away, blushing furiously. “I hate to ruin the heartfelt reunion, but you weren’t the only person we were looking for.”

“True.” Bolin agreed. The earthbender joined Ming at his brother’s side. “We need to know what happened to Asami, bro. We can celebrate your escape later.” Mako nodded slowly, still gripping Ming’s hand in his own.

“I understand.” He replied. “My head is just kinda loopy from the pain meds, is all. I don’t know the exact location, but Asami was able to trick them into admitting that this hospital was the closest one to where we were being held.”

“That doesn’t exactly narrow it down.” Korra complained, with a heavy sigh. “Mercy is closest to the dock district, yes, but that still leaves a large area to search.”

“Especially with all the factories and warehouses.” Chief Saikhan added. “And that’s not even mentioning the ships.”

“We weren’t on a ship.” Mako said quickly. The firebender fell into a fight of coughing. Kya hurried in from the doorway. She placed a hand on his forehead, before turning to pour him a glass of water. Mako chugged it down greedily. “As I was saying,” He continued, after recovering his breath. “We definitely weren’t on a ship, that much I can say for certain. There was no rocking from the water, or the vibration of engines. Plus, it didn’t take long for them to take me from the room Asami was being held in, to the truck they brought me here in.”

“So, we’re looking for a warehouse or factory that’s somewhere near Mercy Hospital.” Bolin said, scratching his head thoughtfully.

“One that has an industrial ice-box.” Ming pointed out.

“Asami seemed to think that it could’ve been a meat packing facility.” Mako offered, his voice sounding weak. “I need to rest again, but there’s one last thing I need to say first: we were taken by Buttercup Raiko, Dr. Lee and Lee Fire.”

“So the Equalists did this?” Korra demanded. He nodded slowly. “Well, shit.”

“Actually, that might be just the lucky break we needed.” Ming replied. The group shared a look of understanding, except for Mako who seemed very confused. “I’ll explain later, I promise, when you’re feeling stronger. Right now, however, I need to go.”

“Try not to do anything illegal.” Chief Saikhan muttered, as Ming left the room. “In the meantime, I’ll get every officer I have to begin searching the docks.”

“I’ll help with that.” Korra offered. “But someone needs to stay here with Mako, in case they decide to come back for him.”

“That’ll be me.” Bolin answered, sinking into the chair beside his brother’s bed. The firebender had already passed out, and was snoring softly. “Spirits know that I owe him for looking out for me growing up.” Korra gave him an appreciative nod, before following Chief Saikhan out of the room. Lin hung back to talk quietly with Kya.

—

Tracking down Buttercup Raiko had turned out to be more of a challenge than Ming Shu had anticipated. At first, she’d thought of going to the Crimson Moon. But the bar undoubtedly still had a police presence around it, and she didn’t think that Buttercup would want to be spotted by them again. Next, she’d gone to the former First Lady’s home. Yet all she found there was an obviously hungover Mr. Raiko, who offered no helpful information on his wife’s whereabouts. Lastly, Ming checked the numerous other Equalist hideouts scattered throughout the city. But, still, there was no sign of her quarry.

It was just after five o’clock in the afternoon, when a new idea popped into her mind. The train station! Of course, Buttercup must’ve known that releasing Mako would’ve exposed her as one of their kidnappers. Ming thought, as she waved down a taxi. Which meant that her mentor was more than likely looking for a way out of the United Republic. A dark green taxi slid to a stop before her, and Ming got in, offering her desired destination to the driver.

Thanks to traffic, it took nearly half an hour to finally reach Central City Station. As always, the station was packed with people, even at this hour. Passengers moved to and fro between the trains, while workers unloaded and loaded large stacks of cargo. Ming avoided the ticket-selling booth, and headed straight towards the main corridor, where the passengers could step onto or off of their respective trains.

Spirits, how am I supposed to find her in this? Ming thought, biting her lip anxiously as she surveyed the crowd. Just as the thought crossed her mind, she caught a glimpse of greying black hair and a familiar green pantsuit. She followed it immediately, muttering apologizes to the people she bumped into along the way. The figure moved towards the nearest train, which was marked as heading to Ba Sing Se.

“Buttercup!” Ming called out. The former First Lady turned at the sound of her name.

“Ming?” The older woman replied, a look of confusion on her face. “What are you doing here?” Ming put a finger to her lips and nodded towards a nearby wall which was well away from the crowd.

“Look, I don’t have much time, so I’m just going to be blunt.” Ming said, once they were safely out of earshot. “Where’s Asami Sato?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Buttercup replied quickly. “How would I possibly know where she is?” The former First Lady’s eyes continued to switch from looking at Ming’s face, to scanning the crowded station.

“Cut the crap, Buttercup, Mako already gave you up as being in on the kidnapping.” Ming sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. “Just tell me where she is, and they’ll take it easy on you.” Buttercup Raiko’s face twisted in barely contained rage.

“I should’ve known that allowing your romance with that spark-thrower would bite me in the ass.” The older woman growled.

“Excuse me?” Ming snapped. “Like you have any right to have an opinion on whom I’m dating.”

“Of course I do!” Buttercup roared, leaning in until their faces were only inches apart. “Or have you forgotten? I saved your scrawny hide from that low-life who was trying to sell you like a cow-pig! I was the one who taught you everything that you know, and I was the one who made you into the woman you are now. So face it, honey: I. Own. You.” She emphasized the last three words, by tapping a finger into Ming’s chest. “So it’s about damn time that you pick which side you’re on.”

Ming was dumbfounded by her mentor’s words. For two years, she’d allowed herself to view the older woman as not only a close friend, but as the mother figure she’d never had. It was Buttercup who she’d gone to when she needed advice, or just when she was feeling lonely and wanted someone to talk to. It was Buttercup who had suggested that she’d take a job as Asami’s assistant. And it was Buttercup who she’d gone to when she had first started falling for Mako. Yet, the woman who was standing before her now wasn’t the woman who she’d first met. No, Buttercup had turned out to be just like all the other people from her past: those who had only seen Ming Shu as someone they could use like a piece of property.

Something snapped inside her. Ming surged forward, driving her right forearm under Buttercup’s chin, and forcing her up against the wall. The older woman had managed to get a hand underneath Ming’s arm, but the force of the blow had lifted her off her feet. Ming’s free hand reached behind her back and drew out the knife she kept hidden in her belt.

“No one owns me.” She growled, pressing the blade’s tip into Buttercup’s side. “Not my father. Not that spider-rat from the Fire Nation. And certainly not you!” Ming was partially aware that she was shouting, but didn’t care.

“So, the squirrel-frog finally grew some fangs.” Buttercup laughed humorously. “What now? Are you going to kill me in front of all these witnesses?”

“Test me and find out.” Ming replied, forcing the knife deeper. She was rewarded by a hiss of pain from the former First Lady. “Where. Is. Asami. Sato.” Ming asked again, saying each word as loudly and clearly as she could.

“You’re bluffing.” The older woman grunted. Ming’s eyes narrowed in a glare that practically screamed that she meant business. The two women stayed that way for a long, tense moment, staring each other down. Ming was vaguely aware that some people in the station had started to take interest in them, but kept her focus on the woman before her. Finally, Buttercup’s determined look fell. “She’s in an abandoned meat packing facility called Fire Nation Steaks. It’s on the southernmost side of the docks, roughly a mile or so from Mercy Hospital.”

“See, was that so hard?” Ming sneered, pulling her knife away and taking a step back.

“Now what?” Buttercup replied, clamping a hand over her side. “Are you seriously going to throw away everything I’ve given you for some guy?”

“Well, as a very wise woman once said,” Ming replied with a smile. “I love him more than I fear you.” The older woman surged towards her suddenly, but Ming was faster. She ducked under Buttercup’s jab, and slammed an elbow into the wound on her side. The former First Lady dropped like a sack of potatoes. Ming stared down at her former mentor with nothing but contempt. “Consider this me choosing sides.” She looked up and waved down a nearby security guard. “This woman is wanted by the RCPD for suspicion of kidnapping. Make sure that she doesn’t get on any trains, while I go call for backup.”

“Uh, okay.” The man replied, looking confused. But he stood guard over Buttercup nonetheless, keeping both eyes fixated on her. Ming gave the older woman one last disappointed glare, before rushing off towards the phones.

—

Stone knew that he was earlier than the note had told him to arrive, but he didn’t really care. If these people want to see me so badly, then it will on my own time. He thought. Still, he was mildly surprised to see that two figures were already awaiting his arrival. They were both dressed in full Equalist uniforms, but it was clear to see that one was a man and the other a woman.

“I had a nagging suspicion that you’d be an early bird.” The woman said, as Stone came to a stop before them. He glanced around the area. They stood before an older building, with the words ‘Fire Nation Steaks’ written in faded paint above a large sliding door.

“Yes, well, you know what they say about old habits.” The scarred man replied. “So where is this person I supposedly want?”

“Come, and we’ll show you.” The other Equalist answered, gesturing towards the door. Stone remained where he stood.

“Lose the masks first.” He replied, sharply. “I don’t make deals with people who hide their faces.” The earthbender explained. The Equalists glanced at one another, before removing their masks slowly. Though neither face was familiar to him, Stone was able to identify several similarities between them. “Are you related, perchance?”

“Does it matter?” The woman snapped. Stone shrugged, then followed them into the building. The inside of the building appeared to be as run down as the outside had been. Cracks lined the concrete walls and floor, and fading sunlight managed to find its way through the wooden roof. Every window was broken, some of which had old bird nests still perched on them. He followed the Equalists through a large room where half a dozen tables were lined up in neat rows. Old blood stains still covered the wood. A faint smell of something rotting filled his nostrils.

“You sure know how to pick a hideout.” Stone muttered. The male Equalist glanced at him, but stayed silent. Stone saw what he thought was fear in the younger man’s eyes. He smiled. They came to a stop before a metal door. The woman moved forward and began to open it. The room beyond was made of bare concrete walls and floor, and had a single chair sitting in the center. Curious, Stone Feng moved around the chair so he could see who was sitting in it.

“You.” Asami Sato breathed, as she craned her head back to look at him. Laughter bubbled up front Stone’s chest until it burst out from his mouth. He laughed so hard, that he had to lean over and clasp his knees with his hands.

“This is who you think I want?” He gasped between breaths. “I’m sorry about this, Mrs. Sato.” He said, straightening up and turning his gaze towards the Equalists. “I had hoped that you two would be smarter than you looked.”

“Why you-“ The man began, but was silenced by the woman.

“Don’t play dumb with us, Feng.” She snapped. “You carved Sato’s name into The Lieutenant’s body.”

“Have you never heard of symbolism?” Stone chuckled. “That egotistical maniac, Kuvira, killed Hiroshi before I got the chance. And since I can’t kill what’s already dead, I carved his name in this ‘Lieutenant’ instead.” The Equalists shared a look. Stone rolled his eyes, and turned back to Asami. “I do apologize for whatever they’ve done to you. I had no intentions of dragging you into my business.”

“Yet here I am, nonetheless.” Asami sighed dryly. “Now what?” She added. Stone glanced at the Equalists.

“Just take her and leave!” The man replied quickly. “She’s Hiroshi’s daughter, surely killing her would be enough revenge for you.” Stone’s metal hand shot forward and clamped around the man’s throat.

“Don’t you dare tell me how to quench my thirst for vengeance!” The earthbender growled, lifting the Equalist off his feet as easily as he would a baby. “Let me explain this in a way that you people will understand: Does the cat-gator make deals with its prey? No, it drags them beneath the water and drowns them.” He began, his intense glare flicking from the man to the woman, and back again. “What you fail to understand is that you’re being hunted, and I will not stop until I’ve had my fill. I started with your leadership, because it gives me immense satisfaction to watch you all run around like headless possum-chickens.”

Stone snapped the man’s neck with a flex of his metal fingers. The woman let out a primal scream, moving backwards towards the door.

“But, clearly I’ve been too kind.” He tossed the body aside effortlessly, and began to approach her. A loud boom came from outside, which interrupted his murderous plan. “Huh, sounds like we have company.” He said, smirking at the woman. He started towards the sound, intent on meeting their guests with force, when a sudden twinge of pain filled his gut. Kuruk’s warning played in his head once more. While the wound had been healed, it would take time for the tissue to strengthen again.

Stone bit his lip, as he considered his options. He knew that Avatar Korra had to be out there, considering that the Equalists had kidnapped her wife. Not to mention the dozens of metalbending officers who had undoubtedly accompanied her. This wasn’t a fight he could win in his current condition. Yet his inner warrior was screaming at him to fight anyway. No. He told himself finally. Dying in this rotting place would be a waste. He turned and slammed a foot down the floor, opening a hole large enough for him to jump into.

“What are you doing?” The Equalist woman demanded. “We had a deal!”

“Next time you should try finding something that I actually want.” Stone replied dryly. “But don’t worry, I’ll be seeing you soon enough.” Without another word, he leapt into the hole.

—

Korra didn’t think much of the abandoned meat packing facility, when she first laid eyes on it. She, Lin Beifong, Bolin, and Chief Saikhan had headed out immediately after Ming told them where to find Asami. The assistant had then chosen to return to Mercy Hospital to sit with Mako. Chief Saikhan had brought nearly half of the metalbending police force, since Buttercup Raiko had also mentioned that Stone Feng could show up at any time. Korra’s fingers curled into fists. She still couldn’t believe that the Equalists would’ve really kidnapped her wife in order to give her over to a murderer.

“You okay?” Bolin whispered to her. The two were standing slightly away from the others.

“I’m just having a hard time with this.” Korra sighed. The Avatar glared around at the gathered crowd of police officers. “Why aren’t they going in yet? At the most, there’s two Equalists in there.”

“There may very well be a truly dangerous bender in there, as well.” Lin added, as she appeared at their side. “Chief Saikhan has decided to use his officers to keep watch out here, while us three head inside.”

“Good, then let’s get moving!” Korra replied, setting off immediately towards the facility. Bolin and Lin shared a look of concern, before following her. The inside of the building was in even worse shape than the outside had been. “Asami!” Korra shouted, not caring if she ruined the advantage of surprise. She was so focused on her headlong rush, that she failed to notice the thin metal wire running along the floor. But Lin noticed it, and snatched the Avatar away. The tip of Korra’s boot caught the wire and pulled.

A stack of wooden crates fell from the ceiling and slammed into the ground with enough force that the whole building shook. The cacophonous noise echoed throughout the room.

“What the flameo.” Lin breathed. The former police chief had turned her gaze upward, looking for any other traps. “Let’s just take things a little more carefully, shall we?”

“Agreed.” Bolin and Korra replied in unison. “Looks like that’s the only way to go.” The younger earthbender said, gesturing towards a hallway across from them.

“You two go ahead, I’m gonna hang back and check this room for any more surprises.” Lin offered, as the former police chief started examining the room closely. Korra and Bolin headed towards the hallway, both of them keeping their eyes peeled for traps. The Avatar took the lead, summoning a small flame in her left hand to provide more light. The sound of voices reached their ears, as they neared the hallway’s end.

“You don’t have to do this!” A familiar female voice was saying. Korra recognized it immediately as Asami’s. She quickened her pace, Bolin close behind. A loud crash came from a room ahead of them. The metal door was opened, revealing two figures standing within. Asami stood facing the door. Behind her was a woman that Korra didn’t recognize. The other woman was holding a knife to Asami’s neck.

“Dr. Lee, stop this!” Bolin said, as he followed Korra into the room. A large hole had been carved out of the concrete floor next to the two women.

“She’s insane.” Asami replied, coldly.

“Shut up!” Dr. Lee snapped, pressing the knife into her neck. A thin trickle of blood ran down her pale skin. Rage surged upward in Korra’s chest, and she clenched her fists tightly.

“Release my wife, or by the spirits, you’ll regret it!” The Avatar growled.

“First, give me your word that I’ll be able to leave here freely.” Dr. Lee replied, moving so that Asami was between her and the two benders. Korra shifted on her feet slightly, trying to get a clear view of the Equalist. Bolin stayed where he was, dropping into an earthbending stance. Asami’s brilliant green eyes were locked on Korra’s the entire time. The CEO’s clothing was dirty and torn in some places, yet it was her face that concerned Korra the most. A large bruise started just below Asami’s left eye, and stopped at her jawline. Dried blood clung to the corner of her mouth. The sight made Korra’s blood boil, but she forced her temper back down.

“You know that I can’t do that.” The Avatar replied, trying to keep her voice steady. “Not only did you kidnap my wife, but you also assaulted and nearly killed a police officer. There’s only one way this is going to end: with you in jail.” The former coroner laughed bitterly.

“That’s not good enough!” She snarled, dragging the knife across Asami’s throat.

“No!” Korra screamed, watching in horror as her beloved wife toppled to the ground. Out of sheer desperation and rage, the Avatar let out a stream of fire in Dr. Lee’s direction. The Equalist tried to avoid it, but was too slow. She shrieked in pain, clutching her face, before stumbling into the hole beside her. But Korra didn’t notice any of this, her cyan eyes being fixated solely on the prone and bleeding form of Asami. The Avatar leapt forward and dropped to her knees beside her wife.

“K-Korra.” Asami gasped, one hand trying to hold back the crimson tide pouring from her wound.

“Shh, babe, it’s going to be okay.” Korra replied, removing the water sack that hung from her shoulder. She opened it quickly and bent a glob of water around her hand. “It’s okay, I’m here now. It’ll be okay, I promise.” Tears fell freely from her eyes, but she didn’t care. Asami needed her, and that’s all that mattered right now. The CEO removed her hand reluctantly, so that the Avatar could bend the water over her wound. The cut was long and deep, but it was clean enough that Korra could heal it easily. A dull blue glow lit up the room, as the Avatar called upon her healing power.

Behind her, she was vaguely aware of Bolin climbing into the hole, but kept her main focus on the task before her. The Avatar reached out with her spirit until she felt the familiar tingle of Asami’s chi. Using that energy, she coaxed the tissue around the wound to close up. Slowly, the stream of blood ceased, and the cut sealed, leaving a long scar behind. Korra tossed aside the spoiled water and inspected her work.

“Korra?” Asami croaked. The sound of her wife’s voice sent a wave of relief washing over Korra’s body.

“Thank the spirits!” The Avatar cried, pulling her wife into a tight embrace. Asami wrapped her arms around her neck just as tightly. “Are you okay, babe?” Korra asked, breaking the hug reluctantly. Asami nodded, smiling broadly.

“I apologize for the interruption.” Lin Beifong’s harsh voice called out. Korra jumped slightly. She’d failed to notice the older woman come into the room. “But where’s Stone, and the other Equalists?”

“Dr. Lee’s dead.” Bolin answered, as he clambered up out of the hole in the floor. “It’s a ten foot drop easily, and she hit her head on the way down I think.” He then motioned to the other body across from the door. “I’m guessing whoever made this hole, also killed him.”

“It was Stone Feng.” Asami replied. Korra stared down at her hands in disbelief, barely listening to the conversation. She’d never killed anyone before, and the realization filled her with a mixture of relief and revulsion. Relief, because the threat to her wife was gone. Revulsion, because she’d taken another human life, and the fact that she’d been forced to do so in order to save her wife did little to ease it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this one, but there was a lot going on in this chapter and it took longer than I had expected to get it all into a format that I was happy with. Plus real life has gotten busier for me, so I just can’t post daily like I used to. But I promise that I’ll be posting at least twice a week. Sometimes it’ll be for this story, and sometimes it’ll be for my other series Korra Can’t Help Herself. And of course I’ll still be posting the other things that pop into my head, but there’s no way to schedule those since they’re random.
> 
> I can feel the end of this story coming up, but I don’t know how far off it’ll be. I can say that the next chapter or so will probably be fluff though, since our characters need to do some physical, mental and emotional healing. But don’t worry, I promise that the ending will have plenty of action for you.


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Mending

Pain covered her neck. A thin, burning line of agony as the unyielding steel blade parted her flesh. The feeling of a warm liquid spilling out over her neck and chest followed immediately afterward. She tried desperately to hold back the tide of her life’s blood, but could feel herself slowly slipping away. Her muscles were becoming rapidly weaker, and a darkness began to build at the corners of her vision. She opened her mouth to shout for help, but all that came out was more blood, which spilled out over her lips and chin. For a brief moment, she thought she caught a glimpse of her parents. This is how I die. She thought.

Asami bolted upright, gasping for breath, one hand flying to her throat. Yet instead of the bleeding wound she’d expected, all she found was a thin scar. Her chest heaved, her heart was pounding painfully, and a cold sweat coated her body. Something stirred at her side, and a pair of muscular arms enveloped her in a warm embrace.

“Shh, it’s okay.” Korra whispered sleepily, her breath tickling Asami’s bare skin. The raven haired woman buried her face in her wife’s chest and allowed herself to cry. “It’s okay, babe, it was just a dream. You’re safe now, I promise.” Slowly, reality began to catch up with her. It had been two days. Two days since she’d been kidnapped. Two days since the last time they’d seen or heard anything about Stone Feng. Two days since she’d been rescued by Korra, Bolin and Lin. Two days since she’d nearly died.

“I-I’m sorry that I woke you.” Asami sighed, her words muffled against Korra’s skin. A sudden pang of guilt filled her, the Avatar hadn’t been having much success sleeping either.

“It’s okay.” Korra ran her fingers through her hair slowly. The Water Tribe woman began to hum a lullaby, holding Asami tighter. The CEO allowed herself to be cradled for a while longer, enjoying the feeling of Korra’s muscular body against her own, and the slight vibration from the other woman’s humming. Slowly, the raven haired woman felt the after affects of her nightmare begin to slip away. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, Asami. But I promise that you’re safe now.” Korra said, once Asami had finally calmed once more. Together, the two women laid back onto their bed, still wrapped tightly in each other’s arms.

Asami waited until her wife was asleep once more, before carefully slipping out of bed. She knew that she should’ve just stayed, but she couldn’t. Not right now at least. Right now the one thing her restless mind needed was to be distracted. So, she dressed in the rugged shirt and jodhpurs that she usually wore while working in the shop. Then slipped her feet into her boots, and headed out to the workshop. The small building was small and full of carefully organized tools, machine parts and other miscellaneous items.

Sighing with content, Asami turned to her latest project and sat down to begin working. She’d been trying to find a way to enhance her shock glove, so that it could fire a small bolt of electricity if needed. But so far all her attempts had been failures. The familiar feeling of having something to do with her hands, freed up her troubled mind to think. Slowly, her thoughts began to shift from the prototype she was tinkering with, and returned to her rescue and close brush with death.

The thought that she’d come so close to being gone forever was absolutely terrifying to Asami. But, it wasn’t all that surprising either.

“Not only am I a member of Team Avatar, but I’m married to her as well.” She muttered to herself, while giving the glove’s power supply another small adjustment with her nimble tools. “So can I really be shocked that it happened?” As soon as she voiced the question, she knew it was a ridiculous one. Of course she could be surprised. Spirits, she’d nearly been killed! If she wasn’t affected by that in some way, then she’d have a good reason to be worried.

“Okay.” She sighed, flipping a small switch. The glove sparked slightly, then went dead once more. Biting back a curse, she removed the ruined power supply and started over. The action of replacing the small device made her pause, a sudden thought in her mind. She wasn’t just afraid because she’d nearly been killed, she was afraid of what would’ve happened to Korra if she had died. The look on her wife’s face, as Asami had lied on the ground, bleeding out, had been one of absolute fear and desperation.

“Spirits.” Asami whispered, setting down her tools and burying her hands in her hair. She couldn’t let that happen again. She couldn’t leave Korra alone like that, she wouldn’t. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.” She breathed, finally allowing the tears to fall.

—

Meanwhile back in their bedroom

Korra had noticed Asami sneaking out of bed, but decided not to mention it. She and her wife had different ways of dealing with things. Asami would undoubtedly be out in the workshop, tinkering with one of her various projects. But Korra’s way was a bit different. As soon as she was certain that Asami was gone, she got up and dressed in the shorts and chest bindings she usually worked out in. Then headed to the personal gym that Asami had built when Korra moved in full-time.

The room was easily one of the most used, besides the kitchen and their bedroom of course. Korra started off with some stretching, before heading over to the punching bag. She began with a quick right hook, followed by a left jab and an upper cut from her right. Next, she pivoted her body and drove her left shin into the bag. The family sting of the impact brought up her memories from the meat packing facility.

The image of Asami lying on the ground, clutching at her throat while blood surged between her fingers flashed in her mind. Her next kick was significantly more powerful than the first, causing the bag to swing wildly. She wasn’t a fool, this wasn’t the first time that Asami’s life had been at risk because of her. There was the Equalists and Amon first. Then, Unalaq and the Northern Water Tribe. Next came Zaheer and the Red Lotus. Lastly, came Kuvira.

Korra’s right fist thundered into the bag, as she ran down the list. She paused, frowning. That wasn’t all of them, either. Of course there was everything that happened with Tokuga and Guan. Tokuga had kidnapped Asami, and Guan had brainwashed her against Korra briefly. Both times, Asami Sato, the one person who Korra loved the most in the world, had been put in harm's way because of her relationship with the Avatar.

“Don’t think like that.” A voice whispered in her mind. Korra froze, her first halfway towards the punching bag.

“Hello?” She asked, looking around in confusion. Then her overactive mind finally recognized the voice, and she settled into the lotus position on the floor. She closed her eyes, and brought her fists together. Once she got her breathing under control, and cleared her mind, she opened her eyes again to find herself in the Spirit World. A huge, glowing white kite-like spirit floated before her, nearly blocking out the sunlight. “Raava!”

“Hello, again Korra.” The spirit of Light and Balance replied, her form flickering slightly when she spoke. “It has been too long since we last spoke.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Korra replied. “Things just got...complicated pretty quickly after that.”

“You mean because of Tokuga and Guan?” Raava inquired. Korra nodd, lowering herself onto the grass. “Yes, I sensed when Tokuga was transformed, and I felt your grief when Asami, Mako and Bolin were brainwashed by Guan. I am sorry that happened.”

“As am I, but sadly humanity seems to enjoy finding new ways to hurt each other.” Korra sighed. “But why is it you called out to me? Last time, it was because of my developing relationship with Asami that you wished to discuss.”

“Indeed, and this is partly related.” Raava answered. “Though it seems I was right, you two are an excellent fit.” Korra blushed at the compliment. “But matters of the heart aren’t my concern today, but those of the mind.”

“What do you mean?” The Avatar asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“I mean that you cannot continue to blame yourself for what happened to Asami.” Raava explained. “You could not have known that Dr. Lee would be so unstable.”

“Wait, you know about that?” Korra asked in surprise.

“Of course.” Raava laughed. “We are connected, after all. But I cannot see everything you do. It depends on many things that we do not have the time to discuss right now.” Korra shifted into a more comfortable position. “But as I said, you should not be blaming yourself for what Dr. Lee did. Her actions where her own, and you are not responsible for them. Nor are you truly to blame for her death, she did fall down that hole which was made by Stone Feng. So if they can blame you for her death, then they could just as easily blame him as well right?”

“True.” Korra sighed. She reached up to brush a strand of hair out of her face. “But if I hadn’t given him his bending back, then he couldn’t have killed fourteen people either.” The spirit laughed once more, making Korra frown heavily. “What’s so funny?”

“Apologizes, Korra.” Raava replied, gently. “But no one can see into the future, not even the Avatar. You had no way of knowing what he was going to do, nor can you be blamed for his actions. All you knew at the time was that a broken man needed something that only you could give him, and you were kind enough to do so.”

“Thank you, Raava.” Korra said, preparing to return to the material world. “I’ll try to remember what you said.”

“Just a moment, Korra.” Raava said, moving forward slightly. Korra paused. “This was not the only thing that I wished to discuss: What are your intentions with Stone Feng?”

“I’m not sure I understand the question.” Korra replied.

“Thanks to my connection to the Avatars, I have seen many men and women just like Stone Feng over the last ten thousand years.” Raava began. “People like him are unpredictable in the worst way, they have nothing left to lose and are therefore willing to do anything for their chosen cause. So before you face Stone Feng again, you must ask yourself this: Are you going to try and capture him? Or are you going to try and kill him? Consider those questions deeply, Korra, because someone like Stone Feng must not be underestimated.”

—

Later that day:

Korra and Asami finally met up again several hours later. Asami walked into the kitchen to find Korra already there. The Avatar was sitting on the countertop, an open tub of mint ice cream sat next to her. She ate a spoonful of it, while absentmindedly reading the newspaper.

“Does it say anything about us?” Asami asked, retrieving her own spoon before joining her wife on the counter. She hummed to herself, as she took a bit of ice cream. She’d have to remember to thank the chief for his excellent choice.

“Eh, not really.” Korra said, glancing up from the paper. “Just a lot of speculations about what happened on the docks two days ago.” Asami held up the tub, while Korra fished out another spoonful. “So, you snuck out of bed this morning?” It was more a question than a statement, which Asami was thankful for.

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” She sighed. “Just had that dream again, and my brain wouldn’t turn off.”

“Mine too.” Korra admitted, smiling sadly. “I was so scared, ‘Sami, I thought I had lost you.” Asami set aside the ice cream and spoon, then leaned over to wrap her arms around the Avatar’s neck. She pulled the younger woman’s head down onto chest, and kissed her forehead.

“I know, princess, and I’m so sorry that you had to see that.” She whispered, while running her fingers through Korra’s hair. “But I’m okay now. And please don’t blame yourself for what happened, there’s nothing that you could’ve done to Dr. Lee.”

“That’s the part that worries me.” Korra replied. “I felt so powerless. I’m not sure how I even thought to heal you, when my mind was panicking so much.” When she had finished speaking, Korra buried her face in Asami’s shirt and started crying softly. Her confession made Asami’s heart break. Korra had always been such a strong and infallible person, and it was rare for her to show this much vulnerability. Not for the first time, Asami felt incredibly lucky that she was the one person who got to see the Avatar this way.

“This may sound crazy,” Asami said, after waiting for Korra’s crying to stop. “But for a moment, right before you healed me, I saw my parents. They didn’t say anything or move, but they were there. Just standing right behind you, watching me.”

“That doesn’t sound that crazy.” Korra sniffed. “Maybe the veil between our world and the Spirit World was thin?” Asami shrugged, tilting her head down so she could breath in the scent of Korra’s hair. “I’m sorry that your relationship with me has put you in so much danger.” Asami frowned, and pulled away slightly.

“Hey, look at me.” She insisted. Korra looked up slowly. Tear streaks ran down her cheeks, and her big blue eyes were full of sadness. “I’m not sorry for that. I chose to be a part of Team Avatar. I chose to be your friend, and I definitely chose to be your wife. And this is the happiest I have ever been, in a long time. So don’t think for one second, that I could ever regret that decision. Because I don’t, and I never will.”

“I love you, Asami.” Korra said quietly.

“I love you too, Korra.” Asami replied, leaning down to kiss her wife. “Now how about we make some tea to go along with our ice cream?” Korra laughed.

—

Some hours later, the two women were in Asami’s home office. Since neither of them were ready to be separated again, Asami had elected to work from home. Luckily, Ming had been more than happy to bring over the small mountain of paperwork that had piled up while the CEO had been missing. Korra had tried her best to follow along, as Asami explained what each piece of paper was meant for. After her brush with death, Asami had decided that if anything happened to her, then Korra would inherit the company. The board of directors could run most things, but there would still be some responsibilities that Korra would have to handle herself.

So far, the Avatar didn’t seem very interested in it however. Korra was currently sprawled out on the office couch, her hands behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling.

“Korra, sweetie, I need you to try and pay attention please.” Asami said, sighing. “This is important.”

“I have been paying attention.” Korra replied defensively. “I’m sorry, babe, but I’m not sure why we’re even doing this.”

“I already explained why.” Asami breathed, rolling her eyes. “Because if something were to happen to me, then you need to be able to handle this yourself.”

“Nothing is going to happen to you, ‘Sami.” Korra retorted.

“But it already did!” Asami snapped. She leaned back in her chair with a huff, crossing her arms. Korra sat up slowly, a wounded look on her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but Asami cut her off. “Please don’t apologize, Korra. I shouldn’t have snapped at you, but I’m just...scared. I have been all the time after what happened.” She was vaguely aware of Korra’s presence, as the Avatar walked over to her and leaned down to wrap her muscular arms around her neck.

“I know, and so am I.” Korra whispered, pressing her lips into the top of Asami’s head. “Just promise me that you won’t hide your feelings anymore. I just want to help you, but I can’t if you won’t let me.” A hard lump formed in Asami’s throat. Korra was right. She’d been so busy trying to make her wife feel better, that she’d been neglecting her own feelings. The CEO breathed a huge sigh.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve just told you how I was really feeling.” Asami said quietly. “I’m just so used to forcing down my own emotions and otherwise being strong, that I’m not used to letting myself be vulnerable. But I promise that I’ll be better at sharing in the future.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Korra asked, breaking her hug so she could look Asami in the eye.

“I could honestly go for some cuddle time with my favorite Korbear.” Asami replied, smirking.

“Since when did you know another Korra?” The Avatar laughed.

“I don’t, and that’s why you’re my favorite.” Asami stood up, and led her wife towards their bedroom. The paperwork could wait.

—

“Are you sure about this?” Korra asked, as they entered the Four Elements Hotel. Asami had told her about Ling Oh’s offer, and while it made her nervous, she had agreed. One short phone call later, and they’d set out to meet up with the tabloid owner.

“It’ll be okay, princess.” Asami replied, squeezing her hand reassuringly. Korra blushed slightly at the honorific. “Ling agreed not to mention any of the truly difficult stuff, and she isn’t going to try and twist your words. Just be yourself, and you’ll be fine.”

They were greeted by a hostess, who showed them a booth that slightly separated from the others. Ling Oh was already seated at the table, busily writing something down in a notebook. The tabloid owner looked up as they approached.

“Oh, good, you’re finally here!” Ling said, smiling widely. Korra and Asami settled into their chairs across from her. “It really is an honor to finally meet you, Avatar Korra.” Ling added, holding out a hand, which Korra shook.

“It’s nice to meet you as well.” The Avatar replied. “Though I’m not sure why you’d want an interview with me so badly, you must already know everything there is to know about me.”

“Only the rumors, I’m afraid.” Ling replied, waving her hand vaguely. “And that’s why I’m so curious: Nobody really knows who Avatar Korra is, besides your wife and friends of course.”

“Right, let’s just remember the rules we agreed to follow, however.” Asami interjected. “Like I said before, I’m not about to allow you to twist her words like you usually do.”

“I promise that this is going to be an honest interview.” Ling said, holding up her hands defensively. “No tricks or word-twisting whatsoever.” She lowered her hands and slid a file towards Asami. “Just to prove that I mean to keep my word, I’ll even give you my source first. So there, you’re perfectly free to get up and leave, if you wish.”

Korra watched Asami open the file curiously. The CEO’s face remained unreadable, as her brilliant green eyes danced over the page, however. After a long, tense moment, Asami closed the file and nodded towards Ling Oh.

“It’s up to you, Korra.” Asami said, turning to look at her wife. “Do you want to do the interview or not?” Korra looked down at her hands. Sure, she’d agreed to come to the meeting, but now that it was time to actually buckle down and go through with it, she wasn’t so sure she was ready. With a sigh, she made up her mind.

“Yes, I’ll do it.” Korra answered, looking up again.

“Excellent!” Ling Oh exclaimed, opening her notebook once more. “Asami you’re free to stay and oversee the interview if you’d like, of course. But my questions will primarily be directed towards Avatar Korra.” Asami made no move to get up from her seat, and instead reached over to hold Korra’s hand. “Okay, let’s get started then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry for the wait on this, but last week was very stressful for me and on top of that I just wasn’t very inspired. The random fics I posted the last few days were ones that I had already written, but hadn’t posted yet.
> 
> But, I promise that I’m not going to give up on this project! I’m really enjoying this story, and I will keep updating it. That being said, this chapter and the next one are going to be fluff, but things will be picking up again after that.
> 
> So, now that the explanation is done, thank you so much for reading and feel free to let me know what you think of the story so far. Or if there’s a fic that you’d like to see me write for you. Or just say hi, because I honestly love hearing from y’all.


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Explanations

To say that the last two days had been challenging for Ming Shu would be an understatement. Not only was Mako still in the hospital, but she also wasn’t sure if she’d even still have a job. She assumed that Korra or the others had told Asami that she was an Equalist already. So she was genuinely surprised, when Asami called and asked if Ming would collect all the paperwork from her office and bring it to the Sato Estate for her. Seeing the young CEO again had given Ming a new wave of hope. Other than a thin scar on her neck, Asami didn’t seem to have any other injuries from her time in captivity.

“Thank you so much for this!” Asami said, as she accepted the large pile from Ming’s hands. “I’m just not ready to return to the office yet, as I’m sure you can understand.

“Of course, Mrs. Sato.” Ming replied, falling back on her well-learned professionalism in her awkwardness. “Let me know if you need anything else. Oh, and here’s this.” Ming added, producing another sheet of paper. Asami shifted the files under one arm, as she accepted it and read it over.

“Is this what I think it is?” Asami asked, looking up from the paper slowly. Ming nodded. Her heart began to race, and she felt her palms grow sweaty. “Spirits, Ming, but what brought this on? Did you really think that I’d fire you just because you’re an Equalist?”

“Wait, what?” Ming muttered, blinking rapidly in confusion. “I’m sorry, but that honestly wasn’t the response that I was expecting.” Asami gestured for Ming to follow her, then led the way through the mansion to her home office. The raven haired woman set down the pile of paperwork, then settled into her desk chair. Ming sat down across from her with some hesitation.

“I won’t lie to you, Ming, I was angry at first.” Asami explained with a sigh. “But not because you’re an Equalist. I was angry because I thought that we were close enough friends that you’d be able to trust me with this kind of information. Especially given my personal history with that group.”

“I know.” Ming replied, hanging her head in shame. “But you have to understand, Buttercup Raiko quite literally saved my life. So I thought that I owed her my unquestioning loyalty. Sure, I didn’t agree with everything they suggested, but I honestly believed we were doing the right thing. I still do, because whether the world is willing to admit it or not, there really is a difference between how benders and non-benders are treated.”

Asami leaned back in her chair, one hand rubbing at her chin thoughtfully. Both women were silent for a long moment. Ming began to worry if she had said too much, that maybe she’d finally succeeded in pushing away her friend. No, that’s not how Asami is. She thought. If Asami Sato didn’t like me, then she’d make no attempt to hide that fact. She was snapped back to reality when Asami stirred.

“This may come as a surprise, but I agree with you.” The CEO said carefully. “But I simply cannot support the Equalist movement. Yes, they have a point: there are things in our society that need to change. However, they’ve simply gone about things the wrong way. That being said, I still respect you because you’re my friend. And I am going to reject your resignation, because you’re honestly the best assistant that I’ve ever had.” Asami tore up the resignation letter for good measure. A huge wave of relief washed over Ming, as she watched it happen.

“You have no idea how great it is to hear that.” She said, softly. “And someday I hope that I’ll be able to share more of my past with you. Just please understand that I’m hesitant about it for a good reason, it’s not a good story, and brings back memories that I’ve been trying to forget for a long time now.”

“Believe me, I completely understand what you mean.” Asami replied, smiling reassuringly.

—

Mako was frustrated to say the least. The one thing he truly wanted, was to get out of this bed and go home. Sure, he was in pain still, but it wasn’t anything that he couldn’t handle. Especially since he was injured helping to take down Kuvira’s mech. Yet, his doctor was reluctant to let him leave for at least another day, just to be certain that his body was strong enough.

Still, that didn’t do anything to help ease the sheer boredom he faced. The radio had helped, for a short time, but eventually he got tired of hearing Shiro Shinobi’s voice. So, he had turned towards reading instead. The nurses had been kind enough to give him some magazines, as well as the daily newspaper. Giving into his boredom, he picked up the newspaper and began to read out loud to himself.

“Peculiar Happenings At The Docks!  
Nearly half of the metalbending police officers from the RCPD were dispatched to the docks two days ago, and yet there still no official explanation being given as to why.  
Well, ladies and gentlemen, if you ask this reporter, I’d say there was some tomfoolery afoot. I myself shall be venturing to Police Headquarters today to demand some answers, and I encourage you to do the same.”

Mako set aside the paper with a sigh. Damn it, Saikhan. He thought. How many times do I have to tell you, you have to give the reporters something. Otherwise they’ll just be free to speculate. Next, he turned to one of the magazines. Republic City Heat was printed in bold letters across the top. Beneath it were several lines in similar lettering, he read each one aloud:

“Are Your Neighbors Equalists? Here’s A Short Quiz That’ll Help Uncover The Truth! Page Three.”

“Ladies, Need A Date? Well Here’s A List of Republic City’s Most Eligible Bachelors! Page Ten.”

“Ever Wonder Why You Can’t Eat Spicy Food? Well It Could Be Your Teeth! Page Sixteen.”

“This One’s For The Fellas: Republic City’s Top Five Most Beautiful Women! Page Twenty.”

“Five Reasons Why The Dragon Flats Butcher Is Really Just A Marketing Stunt For Future Industries. Page Twenty-five.”

The last line made Mako’s blood run cold. They couldn’t be serious? Frowning, he flipped to the aforementioned page and began reading. His rage began to build up, the more he read. Until finally, he threw the magazine across the room with an angry snarl. At the same moment, the door to his room opened up, and Ming Shu slipped inside.

“Uh, did I come at a bad time?” She asked, glancing at the discarded magazine. Mako leaned back against his pillows, shaking his head. Once he’d calmed down again, he looked over at Ming. The assistant was dressed in an immaculate black skirt suit. Gold framed glasses sat on top of her head, and she’d tied back her hair in a wolf tail. “Well, in that case, I did come with gifts.” She added, holding up a paper bag.

“Let me guess, it’s Narook’s?” Mako asked with a chuckle.

“You wound me!” Ming replied in mock indignation. She set the bag down on a nearby table and began to unpack their meal. “Don’t worry, I got your favorites too.” As she spoke, she handed him a container. It was still nice and hot. He smiled as he caught a whiff of the heavy spices. Ming seated herself next to him on the bed, after retrieving her own food and switching on the radio. The two ate in companionable silence. It wasn’t until Ming was collecting their trash, that she finally broke the silence. “So, want to tell me what’s got you so worked up?”

“I just hate being stuck here.” He sighed, reaching up to rub his forehead. “I wasn’t stuck in a bed after Kuvira’s attack, so I don’t know why I need to be now.”

“True. But you weren’t nearly frozen to death either.” Ming countered. “Remember, you couldn’t feel or use your hands at first. So I can understand why they’d want to continue keeping an eye on you.”

“Ugh, I hate it when you’re right.” He teased. Though of course she’d made an excellent point. After the hospital staff had gotten those metal gloves off his hands, they’d all been shocked to see the extent of the damage. The tips of his fingers had been dark purple, nearly black, and he hadn’t been able to move or feel them. “Spirits, if it wasn’t for Kya’s healing gifts, I don’t think I’d still have hands at all.”

“We’ll have to remember to get her something for that.” Ming replied, rejoining him on the bed. “Somehow I doubt that a simple ‘thanks for saving my hands’ would be enough.”

“Tenzin mentioned that she likes fire whiskey once. So I’ll buy her a case of it as soon as I’m out of here.” Mako said with a shrug. “But enough about me, how’re you doing?” Ming went silent for a long moment, her face expressionless. Mako knew from experience that something was on her mind. “What’s going on, Ming? Did something happen to one of the others?”

“No, no it’s nothing like that.” Ming replied, flashing a reassuring smile. “It’s just…” Her voice trailed off with a heavy sigh. Clearly whatever she wants to say is difficult for her. He thought. Reaching out, he grabbed one of her hands in his own.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He said gently. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together.” Sure, he wasn’t entirely certain if he held some kind of romantic feelings for Ming, but he cared enough about her to be concerned for her wellbeing.

“Thanks, that’s...very encouraging to hear.” She replied, smirking slightly. “I’ve just never been good at sharing my thoughts and feelings. So I’ll just say it: I’m an Equalist. Not just a low-level supporter either, but I’m a member of the command circle. I have been for years now.” Mako released her hand reflexively.

“Wh-What?” He stuttered. A hurricane of thoughts and emotions began to rampage in his mind. How could he not have known? He was a detective for spirits sake! He should’ve noticed something. He gritted his teeth, as he tried to sort through the turmoil in his head. Vaguely, he was aware of Ming watching him intently, her face impossible to read. “So,” He paused to licked his lips. “did you know about my capture?”

“No.” She answered quickly. “Kinda? That night there was a meeting that took place at midnight. Dr. Lee brought up the plan to go after Asami, but the rest of us shot her down immediately. It wasn’t until much later that I found out from Bolin and Korra that you two were missing. And according to Bo, the witnesses all agreed that you’d been taken around ten-thirty the previous night.”

“So, Dr. Lee was trying to cover up her involvement.” He sighed, running a hand over his face slowly. The realization did little to ease the shock of her revelation, however. “Why did you join them?” There was a long moment of uncomfortable silence, before Ming finally stood up and spoke.

“Like I mentioned before,” She began. “I was born and raised in the Northern Water Tribe.” As she spoke, she removed her suit jacket and pulled up the left side of her button up blouse. A long scar went from her left hip, up to just below her ribcage. He’d seen it before, of course, but was confused why she’d show it again. “My father gave me this when he found out I couldn’t waterbend. It was bad enough that I hadn’t been born a man, but on top of that I was a ‘useless non-bender’ in his words. I was twelve at the time.”

“Spirits.” Mako whispered, unable to hide the shock from his voice. Ming lowered her shirt, only to uncover another scar. This time it was on her upper right chest. It was thinner and shorter than the previous one, but looked to be fresher.

“He gave me this one because I refused to marry the man he’d picked out for me.” She explained. “Of course he didn’t seem to care that the man was easily three times my age. I was sixteen then, and I had finally saved up enough money to buy my way on a ship. I won’t go into all the details of my travels, because those are things I prefer not to remember. But there were many other men just like my father, and all of them were benders who knew that they could use their abilities to control me.”

“It wasn’t until I met Buttercup Raiko, that I finally found somebody who cared for me. She made me believe that I was worthy of being loved, and she taught me how to defend myself.” Ming continued, fixing her shirt and slipping her jacket back on. “In the end, it turns out that even Buttercup was using me. I’m the one who interrogated her in order to get Asami’s location. But I understand if you don’t want to be with me anymore.” With her last words, Ming dropped her gaze to the floor.

“Ming, I-“ Mako started to say, but was cut off when the door swung open suddenly, and Kya walked in.

“Good news! You can go home early, Mako.” The master waterbender announced joyfully. “You’ll just need to avoid strenuous activity such as driving or working for at least a week, though. But other than that, your body will heal up on its own now. Oh, and I’m going to have to insist that yoI have someone else drive you home, just to be safe.”

“Thanks, Kya.” Mako replied, forcing a smile. “But I don’t have a ride. I’ll have to call-“

“I’ll take him.” Ming offered.

—

“So, are you just going to keep ignoring me?” Ming asked. She and Mako were sitting in her personal Satomobile, the car had been a gift from Asami after she’d helped close a lucrative deal for Future Industries during her first year as the CEO’s personal assistant. It had been relatively easy to get Mako signed out, though Ming had had to make a quick run to his house in order to get him some clothes to change into. But the car ride had been uncomfortably silent, as Mako had chosen to stoically stare out the window and completely avoiding her attempts at a conversation.

She gripped the steering wheel in frustration. Despite saying that they could ‘figure things out together’ so far Mako hadn’t given much of an indication of what he was thinking. A wave of relief washed over her, as she saw his house approaching them. She slowed the car to a stop, then turned to look at him. To her mild surprise, he was already looking at her.

“I’m sorry for being so quiet.” He sighed. “I just need some time to think, is all.” She frowned.

“Okay, I can understand that.” She replied. “I just wish that you could tell me what you were thinking.”

“I’m just confused.” He muttered, shaking his head and reaching for the door handle. The sound of the rain outside filled the car’s interior. Mako moved to get out, but froze. “You said once that I needed to figure out what I wanted, then go out and get it. That’s what I’m trying to do right now, Ming.”

“I know.” She whispered, trying to hide the heartbreak in her voice. His words felt like they’d ripped something out of her chest. It wasn’t until Mako was fully out of the car, that she found her voice again. “I won’t lie, though, I was hoping that I would be what you wanted.” Without another word, she reached over to close his door, then drove off down the street. She was vaguely aware of Mako shouting her name.

—

Mako knew that he’d screwed up somehow. He just wasn’t sure what he did this time. The firebender watched Ming’s Satomobile disappear into the distance, partially wishing that he hadn’t gotten out in the first place.

“Nice going, Mako.” He scolded himself. “There goes another great woman that you messed things up with.” Shaking his head, he unlocked the door and stepped into the home he shared with Bolin and Opal. “Hey, I’m home!” He shouted. The only response was silence. Frowning, he wandered around the first floor, but found nothing but a note on the kitchen counter. He picked it up and read it aloud.

“Hey, bro  
Sorry I couldn’t be there to pick you up, but things are getting pretty busy at the station.  
Love, Bolin.  
P.S. If you get released early, then you should head down here. We could use the extra hands.”

Well, so much for taking it easy. Mako thought. He set aside the note, then stepped back outside to flag down a cab. The ride to the police station was thankfully quick.

“Now that’s just great.” Mako muttered, as he approached the entrance to Police Headquarters. A large group of reporters were gathered at the base of the steps, along with some civilians. Luckily he wasn’t wearing his uniform, which allowed him to move through the crowd without difficulty. He grunted, as someone bumped into him. His body was still sore, and his last conversation with Ming hadn’t helped. When he’d finally reached the doors, he fished out his wallet and flashed his identification card to the officers standing guard.

“Good to see you on your feet again, Sergeant.” The officer said with a genuine smile.

“Thanks, how’re things in there?” Mako asked, nodding towards the door. The officer glanced down at the crowd, then back up at him.

“Busy, to say the least.” The woman replied. “Just head on in, and you’ll understand.” She opened the door, and Mako stepped inside with a grateful nod. As soon as he was inside, he immediately understood what the officer had meant. The building was filled with absolute chaos. Officers rushed to and fro, carrying paperwork or shouting orders to each other. Meanwhile, a small group of what appeared to be angry civilians stood before the reception desk, harassing the desk sergeant. Phones rang nonstop, no matter how quickly the staff tried to answer them. Further shouting could be heard from somewhere upstairs.

Just as Mako was about to head into the elevator, an all too familiar voice boomed out from the reception desk.

“Damn it, I don’t care what your excuses are!” The voice was shouting. It was clearly male, and was coming from somewhere in the small crowd of civilians. Curious, Mako approached the desk slowly. The closer he got, the more of the shouting man he could see. Sure enough, the figure of former President Raiko was standing before the reception desk. “Don’t you have any idea who I am?” Raiko demanded, jabbing a finger towards the desk sergeant.

“That’s enough of that!” Mako snapped, as he jumped forward to block the poor officer from Raiko’s onslaught. The former President glared at him vehemently. The stench of alcohol drifted off the man. “Please, just calm down Mr. President, and I’ll be more than happy to escort you upstairs.” His words seemed to have the desired effect, as Raiko nodded and then followed as Mako led the way back towards the elevator. The desk sergeant flashed Mako a grateful smile as he left.

—

Ming knew that she shouldn’t have left the way she did. She should’ve stayed and talked things out like a sensible adult, but it was too late to change what happened. She also knew that she definitely shouldn’t be in this place. She looked down at the untouched drink before her. The dark alcohol cast an odd shadow from the overhead lighting. She wasn’t sure how exactly, but she’d found herself outside the Crimson Moon bar after her fight with Mako. She'd gone in and ordered a glass of their best Fire whiskey, but hadn’t been able to bring herself to touch it.

It had been a long time since she’d last had a drink. Two years to be exact. Before she had met Buttercup Raiko, Ming had suffered from a drinking problem. It had started simply enough, as a way to help shield her mind from the horrifying moments that had become her daily life. Her drink of choice had always been Fire whiskey, since she found the burn of it to be pleasant and almost soothing. If it weren’t for Buttercup, then she probably would’ve ended up dead in a gutter somewhere, or sold to some creepy man.

But now she didn’t have Buttercup to rely on. Spirits, she probably didn’t have Mako anymore either. She was alone again, and that thought alone had made her seek out the most familiar comfort she knew: drinking. Yet, for some unknown reason, she hadn’t been able to actually make herself take that first drink. No matter how terrible she was feeling, she’d made a vow never to return to her previous lifestyle, and she intended to keep it. She fished out a few yuan bills for the bartender, and was just about to get up to leave, when a familiar male figure sat down next to her.

“Just my usual, please.” Wing said to the bartender. The woman nodded and started to pour a shot of soke. “Thank you.” He added, as the drink was set before him. Ming watched him down the shot with mild curiosity. While the two of them had certainly never been friends, they never fought either.

“So what brings you here?” She asked eventually, setting back down on her stool. Wing signaled for a refill, before answering.

“I was looking for you, actually.” He replied, turning to face her. “We heard about Buttercup’s arrest, as well as the deaths of Dr. Lee and Lee Fire.”

“Yes, well, apparently they had no intention of telling the rest of us about their plan.” Ming sighed.

“Which has angered the other leaders quite a bit.” Wing accepted his new drink, but simply held it between his fingers thoughtfully. “And that’s also why I’m here. The Leadership Council believes that Buttercup is to blame for that whole situation. Before you object,” He added, cutting off the protest Ming was about to voice. “We found proof of that theory in her home. Not only was she the mastermind behind the plan, but she and both Lees were Amon supporters.”

“I thought we cleared them all out?” She asked incredulously.

“As did I.” Wing answered with a shrug. “But, clearly we were wrong.” He paused to take a sip of his drink. “Which brings me to why I was looking for you, I have a request from the Council: We would like you to tell Buttercup that she’s been voted out of the Equalist movement and will no longer receive any support of any kind from us. In exchange, we’re willing to offer you her previous position.”

Ming stared down at the wooden bar, as she considered his words. While it was definitely tempting to take up a position of leadership, she’d dreamed about doing just that for years now, yet she wasn’t entirely sure that’s what she wanted anymore. So much had changed in her life during the last few days. She had only just recently discovered that her mentor had really been using her this whole time. No, despite how enticing the offer was, her mind had already been made up before she had even walked into this bar.

“I appreciate the offer, I truly do, but I have to decline.” Ming said, slowly. Wing raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You can tell the Council that I’ll carry out their request, but I have one of my own: I want out. I joined the Equalists because I believed in Buttercup Raiko. But it turns out she only cared about herself. So it just feels wrong for me to stay in a group that I no longer trust. I still wholeheartedly believe there’s an equality problem between benders and non-benders, however. I just no longer think that the Equalists are representing that issue well enough.”

“Very well.” He replied, draining the last of his drink. “If that’s what you really want, then I’ll tell them.”

“Then I will inform Buttercup of her new status for you.” Ming held out a hand, which he shook. “It was fun while it lasted.” He chuckled, as she stood up and left the bar.

—

While the first floor had been downright chaotic, the second floor was thankfully much calmer. Mako escorted Mr. Raiko out of the elevator and towards the Chief’s office. Saikhan was sitting at his desk, with Bolin and Lin Beifong standing on either side of him. The trio were busy looking over a map of Republic City.

“So we know that he likes to use the tunnels, which unfortunately means he has unlimited access to the city.” Saikhan was saying, pointing towards a highlighted area on the map.

“Yes, but so far all his murders have been in the general area of the Dragon Flats and Downtown.” Lin added, gesturing to the mentioned areas. “So his hideout must be somewhere nearby-“ The rest of her sentence was cut off when Mako knocked on the doorframe.

“Sorry to interrupt.” He said. The trio looked up in his direction, every one of them frowned slightly upon seeing his companion. “But the former President was just about to cause a scene downstairs.” Mr. Raiko stepped into the room, partially blocking Mako’s view. The firebender mimed a drinking motion from behind the older man’s back. The other officers nodded slightly in understanding.

“Yes, well it’s always a pleasure to see you, Mr. President.” Chief Saikhan said, getting to his feet and holding out a hand.

“Finally, somebody who seems to understand my importance here!” Mr. Raiko replied, shaking Saikhan’s hand vigorously. “Now, I’ll just cut to the chase: I want my wife released immediately!”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.” Bolin replied, crossing his arms.

“I understand that she’s in some legal hot water.” Mr. Raiko continued, completely ignoring Bolin’s presence. “But surely you can understand the fallout of the press were to find out about her arrest. If you release her now, that all can be avoided.”

“As my officer here has already said,” Saikhan answered, gesturing towards Bolin. “That is not possible. Not only was your wife directly involved in a kidnapping-“ Mr. Raiko leaned forward and slammed his hands on the desktop, cutting off Saikhan’s words.

“You cannot keep her here!” The former President roared. “Don’t you people know who we are?”

“I do, actually, and quite frankly I don’t care.” Saikhan replied, his voice trembling with barely contained anger. “As I was saying: Your wife was directly involved in a kidnapping, as well as the attempted murder of one of my officers. So she’s not going anywhere.” Saikhan leaned forward until his face was close to Mr. Raiko’s. “Now, you’re more than welcome to file a complaint with the desk sergeant downstairs, but otherwise I’m going to have to insist that you leave the premises immediately. We are very busy, as you can tell, and I have zero patience left for political hand-holding.”

Mr. Raiko’s face had steadily grown a deeper shade of red with every word that Saikhan spoke. By the end, his whole body was trembling slightly. Mako tensed, preparing to leap forward if needed. Thankfully however, Mr. Raiko straightened up and turned to leave. The former President fixed a murderous glare on each of them in turn, before he finally left. Mako turned to make sure that Mr. Raiko was in the elevator, before looking back at his fellow officers.

“It’s good to have you back, Mako.” Saikhan said, as he settled into his chair again. “Now, please shut the door, we have a lot to discuss.” Mako did as directed, and shut the door before stepping towards Saikhan’s desk. The other officers were all looking down on a set of files that rested on the desktop.

“Unfortunately, these are the only files from Stone Feng’s time among the RCPD.” Lin explained. The stack wasn’t much to look at, barely two dozen files in all, and none of them were very thick. “He was marked as an earthbending prodigy. We tried tracking down his military records, but General Iroh said that would probably take a few more weeks.”

“The only truly notable moment from his police career, was when he tried teaching a glassbending class for his fellow officers.” Saikhan continued, tapping the file in question. “But that only lasted two weeks, before being shut down. Apparently one of the trainees managed to injure themselves very badly, and chief Lin ordered the program to be shut down.”

“That happened in the first few years after I became chief.” Lin added. “I heard the rumors, but was never interested in joining the class myself. So when I found out about the accident, I knew that it had to be closed before it could happen again. It was simply too dangerous to continue.”

“After that, we don’t know much else about him.” Bolin finished. “Other than the fact his first name is actually Long, and Stone is apparently just a nickname he’s used since childhood.”

“That’s not much to go on.” Mako sighed, leaning forward to place his hands on the desk. Suddenly, the door opened and in walked Korra and Asami. Both women looked rather pleased with themselves. Mako frowned when he spotted the new scar on Asami’s neck, but he remained silent, curious to see what they had to say.

“Fortunately, we can help with that.” Korra said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. “Because we know who’s been helping him this whole time.”

“Who?” Saikhan asked.

“Lau Gan-Lan, the owner of Cabbage Corp.” Asami answered, holding up a piece of paper. “So, let’s go see what he has to say for himself, shall we?”

“Mind if I come along?” They all turned to see Ming standing in the doorway, a determined look on her face. “I have unfinished business with Stone Feng.”

“Okay, but we can’t make any promises about your safety.” Mako replied. Ming shrugged. “Right then, let’s get going.”

“Saikhan and I will stay here to get the officers ready to go.” Lin offered. “Just give us a call once you have Feng’s location.” Team Avatar and Ming all nodded in agreement, before leaving the police chief’s office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait for this one, but it’s actually a funny story: You see, I finished it within a day and was just about to post it. But I always make sure to read it over again just to be sure it’s good to go. This time, however, I realized that I didn’t like how it came out. So I had rewrite it.
> 
> It took longer because I forgot that my birthday was coming up, and after that I was just dealing with some mental health issues. But now, here it is, finally finished and ready for you to read.
> 
> Enjoy the fluff while you can, because things are going to be heating up again from now on. We’re getting pretty close to the ending now, so I have a little challenge for you guys: How do you think it’s going to end? Do you think that Korra will listen to Raava’s advice and not underestimate Feng? Or do you think he’s going to surprise them yet again? Let me know what you think in the comments, and as always, thank you all so much for reading. I truly appreciate the support you’ve given me.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Culminations Part One

“I’m not sure how much fighting I’ll be able to do, because of my wrist.” Ming Shu explained, as Asami led the way through the police station. The raven haired woman paused, glancing back to her assistant.

“That’s a good point.” She replied. “Maybe you should stay here and help coordinate?”

“Not a bad thought.” Ming shrugged. “I’ll send a message to the Equalists, and see if they’re interested in helping us bring down Stone Feng. Plus I need to speak with Buttercup anyway.”

“Is that a good idea?” Korra asked. The Avatar was standing at the elevator, holding the door open with one hand. Mako stood next to her, with Bolin at his side. “I mean no offense, of course, but you two weren’t on good terms when she was brought in.” Ming let out a low sigh, glancing down at the floor for a moment.

“It has to be me.” She answered, looking up again.

“I’ll stay with her.” Mako offered. “Not just to keep an eye on them, but help the chief as well.”

“Alright then, sounds like a plan.” Asami sighed. “We’ll call as soon as we know where Feng is.” Without another word, she turned and stepped into the elevator. Korra watched her wife with a look of concern. Ever since they’d found out about Gan-Lan’s involvement, the raven haired woman had become more withdrawn than usual. But the Avatar had become used to this, Asami was a complex woman and sometimes it was best not to push her. The trio spent the rest of the elevator ride in an awkward silence. Bolin shot Korra a confused look, but she merely shrugged.

“There you are!” A familiar voice rang out, as the doors slid open. Opal stood near the receptionist desk, one hand on her hip and a determined look on her face.

“Good morning, Opal.” Asami greeted the airbender warmly. “Bo, Korra and I will wait outside for you.” Korra gave a small wave to Opal, before following her wife outside. Once they were alone, Korra took one of Asami’s hands with her own, and turned to face the other woman.

“Are you okay?” She asked, softly. Asami let out a long sigh, and glanced up at the police station.

“Not just yet, but I will be.” The CEO answered, smiling slightly. “I’m just a little overwhelmed, is all. First the kidnapping, and now knowing that it was Gan-Lan who tried ruining my reputation. Think I might need another vacation once this is all over.”

“I agree.” Korra laughed. The Avatar leaned in to steal a quick kiss. “Just promise me that you’ll tell me if you ever start feeling worse.”

“I will, I promise.” Asami cooed, pressing her forehead against Korra’s. Both women stood there for a long moment, comfortable in each other’s companionship. Eventually, the sound of footsteps snapped them back to reality, and they broke apart. Bolin and Opal approached them, both of them wore matching smiles. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“We can talk about it later.” Bolin said, waving his hand.

“Okay, that’s not suspicious at all.” Korra teased. She turned to the airbender. “You coming with us?”

“Yeah, Tenzin thought it would be best if one of the Air Nation was here to help bring in Feng.” Opal explained. “I hope that’s not a problem.”

“Not at all, there’s plenty of room.” Asami replied, jerking a thumb towards her roadster. “We should probably head out, though.” Korra hopped over the passenger side door, and dropped heavily into her seat. Asami shook her head, before gracefully settling behind the wheel. Bolin and Opal slid into the backseat. The roadster came to life with a roar, and Asami pulled out onto the road.

“So, where are we going exactly?” Opal asked, raising her voice to be heard over the wind.

“Cabbage Corps headquarters.” Korra answered. “We believe that Lau Gan-Lan has been working with Stone Feng. So we’re going to see what he knows.” The rest of the drive was spent in silence. Luckily there wasn’t much traffic on their trip downtown, and they reached the skyscraper which served as Cabbage Corps main offices in record time. The Avatar leapt up out of the car, before it had even come to a complete stop. Now that they were so close to getting a real lead, she found it more difficult to hold back her excitement. She held the door for the other three, before stepping inside.

“Hello, and welcome to Cabbage Corps!” The receptionist greeted, as the four of them entered the lobby. “How can I help you today?”

“We need to see Lau Gan-Lan.” Asami said, adopting her CEO voice.

“May I ask why?” The receptionist replied.

“It’s a police matter.” Bolin added, tapping his badge for emphasis. The woman nodded, then picked up a phone. After a short conversation, she hung up and motioned towards a nearby elevator.

“His office is on the top floor.” The receptionist explained. “Just head on in, he’s expecting you.” The four friends piled into the elevator, and Opal pressed the button. Korra watched as Bolin and Opal exchanged quick looks, and smiling to themselves. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on, when the elevator doors slid open once more. Before them was a long hallway lined with doors on either side. Both walls were painted the same tan color. As they walked, Korra got a glimpse into each office. It was clear that each of them was used by an employee. Yet the floor was oddly empty.

“Pretty sure I’ve seen a mover that started in an empty hallway like this.” Asami muttered. Korra chuckled softly. A worried look crossed Bolin’s face, as he led the way towards a set of double doors that stood at the hallway’s end. The lavabender stopped before the doors and knocked loudly.

“It’s open!” A male voice came from inside. Bolin opened the doors, and the four of them stepped inside. Lau Gan-Lan was seated at a large oak desk that was covered in ostentatious carvings. An open bottle of expensive-looking fire whiskey and a half full glass sat before him. “I was beginning to wonder when you’d come for me.”

“So you know why we’re here?” Korra asked, as she approached the desk. The elderly CEO nodded. “Good, that’ll make things much easier then. Just answer our questions, and I promise to tell Chief Saikhan that you cooperated.” Gan-Lan downed his drink in one long gulp, before slamming the empty glass on the desktop. With a grunt, he stood up, hands laced behind his back.

“Very well, but on one condition: I must know that my granddaughter is safe.” He replied. The four looked at him in confusion. “That was Feng’s leverage over me. He knew that the only thing that I cared about was her, and so he threatened her life if I didn’t help him.”

“Are you sure he wasn’t bluffing you?” Asami inquired.

“He had a file full of photographs that proved he was serious.” Gan-Lan explained, sighing. “Some were of her at our home, others were of her boarding school. Needless to say, I was thoroughly convinced.”

“You have a deal. Tell us what we need to know, and I’ll inform the Chief that your granddaughter needs protection.” Korra replied calmly. “Please, we can’t catch this guy without you.” She added, seeing the small look of doubt on his face. He stared at her thoughtfully for a long, uncomfortable moment, before letting out a deep sigh and rubbing his chin.

“Okay. He specifically requested the use of a warehouse that had access to the city tunnels.” He said. “I only had one that fit his needs: it’s a few miles east of here, near Kyoshi Bridge. As far as I know, he lives there alone.”

“Thank you, Lau.” Bolin replied. “Can I trust that you’ll take yourself to police headquarters?” The older man nodded glumly. “Good. May I borrow your phone?”

—

“So, what exactly did you need to talk to Buttercup about?” Mako asked, as they watched the others pile into the elevator. Ming was silent for a long moment. She hadn’t really thought out her suggestion to have him stay with her. Their argument was still fresh in her mind, and her emotionally clouded brain was painfully aware of how close he was, and the alluring scent of his aftershave. Damn it. She scolded herself, taking a deep breath to steady her wandering thoughts.

“She’s been voted out of the Equalist movement, and they requested that I be the one to tell her.” She explained. “Plus I have a question only she can answer.” She wanted to add: ‘why does it matter to you?’ But held off. There was no reason to make this any more awkward than it already was.

“Sounds like a plan.” Mako replied, shrugging. “I’ll observe from outside the room, but if there’s even a hint of trouble-“

“You’ll come rushing in like a knight in shining armor?” Ming finished for him. He blushed slightly. “So, are you going to show me to the interrogation room?” She added, after a moment of awkward silence.

“Oh, yeah, sorry.” He mumbled, forcing a smile and scratching the back of his head. “Right this way.” He gestured towards a short hallway line by two doors on the left side. “First door is interrogation. Second is the observation room, where I’ll be. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable, I’m going to get Buttercup.” Ming nodded, then opened the aforementioned door and stepped into the interrogation room.

It looked almost exactly as she had been expecting: A rectangular metal table, with two chairs pushed in on either side. A large one-way mirror dominated one wall. The floors, walls and ceiling were all the same plain grey in color.

The thought of being face to face with Buttercup again filled Ming with trepidation. The last time she’d seen her former mentor, the older woman had all but admitted that she’d been using her the entire time they’d known each other. Those words had been repeating themselves over and over again in her mind. Each time, they drug up new waves of self doubt. What kind of person must she be if everyone she knows is constantly using her for their own benefit? Her thoughts were interrupted by the door creaking open. Mako stepped inside, leading Buttercup Raiko. The former First Lady had her wrists and ankles shackled, and was dressed in a tan jumpsuit.

“Well I certainly wasn’t expecting this.” Buttercup said dryly, locking gazes with Ming. Mako escorted the older woman to one of the chairs, and seated her in it. He shot Ming a look, before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him. “And here I thought that you wouldn’t want to see me ever again.”

“If I had it my way, then I’d happily never look at you again.” Ming replied. She felt a surge of pride at how little her voice shook as she spoke. The hate she harbored towards her former mentor threatened to overwhelm her, but she forced it back down. She had a mission. “But I was asked to inform you that you’ve been voted out of the Equalist movement. So you’ll no longer be receiving any kind of assistance from them.”

“That didn’t take long.” Buttercup chuckled bitterly. “Anything else?” Ming pondered how to address her question for a moment. The real reason she was here, after all, was because she needed closure. But now that it was time to give voice to that desire, she hesitated.

“Why did you do it?” She asked slowly. The words seemed to take extra effort to get out. “If you were just going to use me, then why did you ever bother saving me in the first place?” Once it was out in the open, Ming felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her chest. She’d been mulling over that question ever since she found out the truth about Buttercup. To her credit, the former First Lady didn’t look overly surprised by the question. She tried to cross her legs, but stopped when her shackles prevented it.

“Do you really want me to answer that?” The older woman replied, raising an eyebrow. “Because you won’t like my answer.”

“I need to know.” Ming answered, forcing as much conviction into her words as she could. Buttercup was silent for a long moment. Her piercing gaze looked Ming up and down several times. Finally, she sighed and shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

“Because I knew you were broken.” The older woman began. “From the first moment I saw you, I knew you’d be easy to manipulate and mold into what I needed you to be. I knew it would be easy to make you believe whatever I wanted you to.” Ming’s eyes began to burn, and she turned away quickly so her former mentor wouldn’t see the tears fall. She’d already known what Buttercup was going to say, she’d heard it before after all. But actually hearing the person she’d trusted admit to using her, was far more difficult to handle than she’d originally thought. It felt as if she’d been stabbed in the chest.

“Thank you.” Ming said, forcing the words past the lump in her throat. “Hearing that has helped me a lot. But I don’t forgive you, and I never will. And it’s going to give me great satisfaction knowing that you’re rotting in prison.” Without another word, Ming left the interrogation room, slamming the door behind her. She only made it a few feet before the hurricane of emotions finally overwhelmed her. Her knees went weak, and she would’ve fallen if it wasn’t for the pair of strong arms that caught her and held her tightly. A small part of her mind recognized the familiar scent of aftershave, but she ignored it.

She clung onto the body the arms were attached to, burying her face in a familiar uniform shirt. Her fingers gripped the shirt like a lifeline, as the weight of the last few days finally came crashing down. She was partially aware of being guided towards a chair, but she refused to release the shirt. The next thing she knew, she was being pulled down onto someone’s lap, and she curled up, allowing herself to be fully consumed by her misery. She didn’t know how long she’d been like that, broken and weeping into someone’s shirt. Slowly, she became aware of a voice saying her name.

“Ming. Hey, Ming, are you okay?” Mako said, running a hand up and down her back slowly. “Can you hear me? Just nod if you can, I need to know you’re okay.” Slowly, Ming managed to force back the worst of her feelings, and nodded her head slightly. “Okay, good. I know what she said was hard to hear, but I just got the call from Bolin. We know where Feng is. Do you still want to go?”

“Y-yeah.” She muttered, finally pulling herself away from his chest. A twinge of guilt washed over her when she noticed the large tear stain she’d left on his uniform shirt. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting that to happen. But I needed to hear it.”

“I know.” He replied, flashing a reassuring smile. “I’m going to go get my car, unless you need me to stay here with you?”

“No. No, I’ll be okay.” Ming answered. She forced her body to move, and stood up from Mako’s lap. She rubbed her eyes and glanced around the room. They’d been sat on a bench near the interrogation room, luckily there was nobody around to witness her breakdown.

“Didn’t think you’d want anyone seeing you like that.” Mako explained, seeing her confusion. “Plus I didn’t want to try carrying you too far, either.” He stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of his shirt. Then his golden eyes locked with hers. “Look, I’m sorry about what I said before. I wasn’t trying to say that I didn’t want to be with you, because I do. I really like you. I’m just scared because I’ve had bad luck with relationships in the past, and I really don’t want to repeat that.”

“I like you too.” Ming replied. She reached out and grabbed his hand with her own. “And trust me, we’re going to have a nice long discussion about us once this is all over. But right now we need to focus, okay?” He nodded. “Good, then let’s get going.”

—

One last push. That’s all it would take. One last push, then it would be over. Then he could be with them again. Finally. Stone Feng thought, as he made the preparations for his final mission. He’d already pulled on the metal-lined leggings of his armor, and stood holding the jacket in both hands. He was standing in the tiny bathroom of his hideout, staring at the photograph of his family. The smiling faces of his wife, Mai, and their children: Mei, Wei and Oh, all stared back at him. Their joy having been captured forever by the photographer.

“We’ll see each other again soon, I promise.” He whispered, as he pulled on his jacket. The buttons popped into place under the will of his metalbending. Next he put on a piece of equipment he hadn’t worn in years. Twin metal coils, with several yards of metal wire wrapped around them. He secured the coils to his back, then used his metalbending to test them. Satisfied with the results, he gave one last long look at the family photo, before stepping out of the small bathroom.

Once he was dressed, Stone started down the narrow staircase to the first floor. As he walked, Little Bastard flew over and landed on his shoulder. He reached up to scratch the owl-cat fondly. The moody animal had grown on him in the short time that he’d been living in the warehouse. He walked over to a large metal circle that was set into the concrete floor. Using his metalbending, he lifted the cover up and moved it aside, revealing a circular tube with a rusty ladder built into one side. He started to lower one foot towards the ladder, but stopped when a familiar sound reached his ears: footsteps.

Frowning, he closed his eyes and searched out with his seismic sense. Roughly three dozen people were moving around the warehouse, positioning themselves near every exit. They weren’t just outside either, he could sense another twelve approaching through the tunnel below him as well. Sighing, he straightened up and replaced the metal cover.

“You need to go.” Stone said, looking up at the owl-cat on his shoulder. Little Bastard meowed. “I know, but this isn’t going to end well for me and I don’t want you to get hurt. Now go.” With another irritated meow, Little Bastard leapt into the air, and disappeared out of a nearby window. Stone took a moment to collect his thoughts, then approached the front door. He could sense a group of people walking towards it from the other side. “Easy now, everybody!” He shouted. “I’m going to open this door. There’s no reason to fight today.”

“Move slowly, and keep your hands where we can see them.” A woman’s voice replied. Stone slid open the warehouse doors, and stepped outside. He made sure to keep his hands visible. Waiting outside where Avatar Korra, Asami Sato, Lin Beifong and a few others he didn’t recognize. “Do us all a favor, Long Feng, and surrender.” Lin Beifong continued. She gestured to Korra who was holding a pair of platinum handcuffs. “Like you said, there’s no reason to fight today. Not if we don’t have to.”

“I agree.” Stone replied, holding out his wrists. He smiled grimly, Korra stepped forward to secure the cuffs around his wrists.

“Long Feng, you are hereby under arrest for fourteen counts of murder.” Chief Saikhan said, approaching from the left side of the warehouse.

“Please, just call me Stone.” Stone replied, still wearing his grin smile. “Long was my grandfather’s name.” He chuckled to himself, as a group of six metalbending officers escorted him towards a police truck. Four officers climbed into the back with Stone, and attached a platinum chain to his cuffs, the other end of the chain was bolted to the truck floor. He fell silent as the doors slammed shut. Someone outside pounded on the side of the truck, then the vehicle started moving. The small window beside him gave a partial view of Kyoshi Bridge.

“So you’re him?” One of the officers asked, after an awkward silence.

“What’re you doing!” Another officer hissed. “The Chief said not to interact with him!”

“Oh leave her be, Fu.” The third officer said, waving his hand dismissively. He appeared to be slightly older than the other three, and had a sergeant's stripes on his uniform. “This man’s face has been all over the newspapers lately, so you can’t blame her for being curious.” Stone remained silent, choosing to split his time between staring out the small window, and gazing down at the cuffs around his wrists. Several long seconds passed, before he looked up and saw what he was hoping to: they’d reached the central span of Kyoshi Bridge.

“You want to know something interesting?” He said, looking at each officer in turn. All four of them stared at him in confusion. “When they first started making these cuffs, they had problems with funding. Platinum isn’t cheap, you see. So after a while the RCPD needed a way to cut down on costs. It just so happened that I worked on that particular problem myself.”

“What are you getting at, bub?” The older officer asked.

“What I’m saying is, these cuffs aren’t entirely made of platinum anymore.” Stone replied. He looked down at the cuffs as he continued to speak. “Only the big pieces are. The smaller ones are plain old iron. Which means I can do this.” With a snap of his fingers, the cuffs popped open and fell from his wrists. Then two things happened at once: One, all four officers leapt forward to grab him. Two, Stone reached out with his bending and forced one of the truck’s wheels to stop suddenly. The vehicle swerved hard, then flipped.

—

Korra could hardly believe it: After terrorizing Republic City for two weeks, Stone Feng was finally in police custody. She’d been prepared for a fight. Yet to her surprise, and relief, Stone had given himself up without a struggle. Chief Saikhan read him his rights, then the metalbending officers placed him into a truck. Lastly, Asami, Bolin, Opal and Korra climbed back into Asami’s roadster and followed behind the police vehicle. The warehouse was located on the opposite end of Kyoshi Bridge, so they’d have to cross it again in order to take Feng to the station.

“I’ll never get over how beautiful this bridge is.” Korra commented, staring up at the metal archway looming towards them.

“Why, because it’s technically named after you?” Asami teased. Korra laughed and shook her head. “I know what you mean, though. I’m so glad it wasn’t damaged by Kuvira’s attack. I would’ve been way too nervous to try rebuilding a masterpiece like this.”

“You did a pretty good job with New Downtown.” Bolin offered.

“Not to mention Avatar Korra Park.” Opal added. “That’s my favorite spot in the city to sit and read.”

“I still can’t believe that you named that place after me.” Korra said with a smirk.

“What can I say, I missed you.” Asami replied, blushing slightly. “But you have to admit, that statue is pretty darn accurate.” Korra leaned over to plant a kiss on her wife’s cheek.

“Yes it is.” She agreed. “Also did you just say darn? You’re such a dork.” Asami slapped Korra’s arm playfully, a wide smile on her face.

“Not all of us can have your potty mouth, miss Avatar.” The CEO teased back. Korra took a glance at the backseat, noticing that Bolin and Opal had once again started whispering and giggling to themselves. She frowned slightly.

“What is going on with you two?” She asked. They returned her inquisitive look with ones of innocence. “You’ve been acting weird ever since you met up at the station. So spill it.” Bolin and Opal shared a look. Finally, Bolin sighed.

“Okay, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else yet.” He began.

“I’m pre-“ Opal started to say, at the same moment that Asami let out a shout of alarm. The roadster came to a sudden stop, as the raven haired woman slammed on the brakes. Korra snapped her head around just in time to see the police truck they’d been following flip onto its side and slid for several feet. Half a dozen over cars swerved or stopped to avoid hitting the wrecked vehicle. “By the spirits!” Opal breathed. Korra leapt up out of the car without hesitation. The truck had crashed roughly in the center span of Kyoshi Bridge, and was turned lengthwise, blocking off both lanes of traffic. Several people began to get out of their cars, some even approached the wreckage to get a closer look.

“Get back!” Korra shouted, waving her arms wildly. “Get back in your cars and leave!” Nearly half of the crowd did as she commanded and went back to their vehicles, but a few stayed behind, though they kept a few feet of distance between themselves and the truck. As she approached, Korra noticed the doors begin to rattle. It started off slowly, but became more and more violent the closer she got. Finally, they flew off of their hinges and toppled over the edge of the bridge. The figure of Stone Feng stumbled out of the opening. He had a fresh cut on his forehead, which spilled blood down half his face.

“Talk about a bumpy ride.” He chuckled, reaching up to brush some of the blood off his face.

“Stay right where you are!” Korra hissed, sliding to a stop before the scarred man. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“And how exactly are you going to stop me?” Feng laughed, gesturing towards the wreckage. “You don’t have the metalbending police handy anymore, and I’m definitely not going to surrender myself again. Face it, Avatar Korra, you don’t have it in you to bring me down.” As he spoke, he took a step towards her. “Because you could take my bending again and lock me away like Zaheer. But I’d eventually find a way out, and I’d pick back up where I left off.” Korra held her ground, as he stepped ever closer. She was vaguely aware of her three companions approaching from behind. “So the only real way to stop me, is to kill me.”

“We’ll see about that.” Korra replied, before aiming a right hook at the scarred man’s face. Stone seemed to have been expecting the blow, and ducked just before it landed. Moving far faster than a man his size should’ve been able to, he rotated his body and drove a knee up into her gut. The force of the blow knocked the wind from her lungs, and sent her stumbling backwards several steps. Korra’s vision narrowed, as she desperately tried to catch her breath. Suddenly, one of Bolin’s lava discs flew over her shoulder and angled towards Stone. The scarred man raised his metal hand and the disc halted in midair.

“That’s a nice trick, boy.” Stone said. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the burning projectile into the ground. “But I figured it out. Now let me show you something truly unique.” He closed his eyes and curled his fingers into fists. All around them, the windows of the nearby vehicles began to rattle. Korra’s eyes widened.

“Get down!” She shouted. A second later, each nearby window shattered and the shards of glass floated towards Stone. He drew his hands in, then shoved them forward violently. The cloud of shards converged into a narrow stream, then shot forward in Bolin’s direction. But the lavabender was ready. He stopped his foot and pulled up a wall of concrete to hide behind. Some of the glass shattered uselessly against the barricade, before Stone redirected it towards Opal and Asami.

Korra surged to her feet, and pulled up a similar barricade as Bolin’s. Asami grabbed Opal’s hand, and tugged the airbender behind her roadster. Dozens of glass shards collided with the area where they’d been standing a moment before, as well as the barricade that Korra was hiding behind.

“Any ideas?” Asami shouted from her hiding place. Korra glanced in her wife’s direction, wincing when she spotted the damage being inflicted on the roadster.

“Not unless one of you can secretly glassbend.” Opal replied. Korra bit her lip thoughtfully, as she searched her mind for a solution. Stone Feng had been careful not to move the glass too close to his body. So maybe if she could get in close enough?

“Bo, I need you to get his attention!” The Avatar shouted, peering over at the barricade where lavabender was hiding. In response, Bolin popped up from behind his cover, and sent two globes of lava towards Feng. The scarred man dodged one of the projectiles, and used some of his glass to redirect the other. Stone bent a particularly large shard before him, then sent it flying in Bolin’s direction. The lavabender managed to dodge it, but only barely. But Korra didn’t notice that, she was already moving the moment that her friend launched his attack.

Korra did her best to stay low, hoping to keep out of the scarred man’s view. Stone noticed her advance, however, and turned the stream of glass shards towards her. In a panic, she closed her eyes briefly and entered the Avatar State. The familiar rush of energy surged throughout her body, making the hairs on her neck stand on end. When her eyes opened once more, they let out a brilliant white light. She summoned up a torrent of air with a thought, using it to blow away most of the shards. One of them, slightly larger than the rest, managed to get through and embedded itself in her right side. Red hot paint shot though her, and the Avatar State vanished as quickly as it had come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologizes for the wait on this one, but I promise it’s worth it. Also, I originally wanted this to be one chapter, but it was too long, so I had to split it into two. And since these are the last chapters of the story, I’m taking extra time to make sure that I don’t leave any plot holes.


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Culminations Part Two

Asami grabbed Opal’s hand, and pulled the airbender into cover behind her roadster. A second later, glass shards smacked into the ground where they had been standing before. She winced, when a few shards slammed into the side of her personal vehicle. That wasn’t going to be an easy fix. She took a deep breath to steady herself, then glanced over the car: Stone was still standing near the wrecked truck, his stream of glass circling his body like a glittering serpent. Korra and Bolin huddled behind earth barricades a few feet away from his position.

“Any ideas?” Asami shouted, slipping back behind the vehicle as Stone sent a few pieces of glass in her direction. Tiny particles bounced over the car to land on her hair and shirt.

“Not unless one of you can secretly glassbend.” Opal replied. Asami spared her friend a glance, flashing what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She was vaguely aware of Korra shouting something behind her, and turned to see what was happening. She looked up in time to see Korra’s body dropping to the ground. For a split second, the rest of the world ceased to exist for Asami Sato. Korra, the love of her life and best friend, slowly toppled to the ground. A large shard of glass stock out of the Avatar’s right side.

An animalistic scream ripped its way out of Asami’s throat, at the same moment that all rational thoughts left her brain. Her body started moving before she realized what was happening. She leapt up over the vehicle’s door, slammed a foot into the seat, then propelled herself upwards and towards the place where Stone was standing. The scarred man turned to bend some glass in her direction, but she was prepared for that. She landed on her feet, and rolled beneath the stream of glittering shards. When she popped up again, she was standing right in front of the towering earthbender. Without hesitation, Asami harnessed the last of her momentum, and drove the heel of her hand into the man’s chest.

Stone Feng stumbled backwards slightly from the blow, but Asami didn’t let up. She spun and landed a quick kick to his hip, followed up with a left jab to his neck. The large man took two steps backwards, his back slamming into the wrecked truck. He brought up his metal hand to block her next blow, but was too slow. Asami’s fist slammed into his neck once more, and she immediately snapped her left knee up between his legs. A loud gasp escaped Stone’s mouth, at the same time his knees gave out and he dropped to the ground. Asami brought her knee up once more to collide with his face, before stepping aside and letting him collapse face-first into the concrete.

Asami turned to look at the area where Korra had fallen. Opal and Bolin were already there. The airbender was bent over the fallen Avatar, while the lavabender kept a wary eye on Stone Feng, legs bent slightly in preparation to launch an attack. Asami’s mind, which was usually lightning fast and brilliant, took in all those details but barely registered them. The only thing she could focus on was the prone form of her beloved wife. Asami caught Opal’s attention and they shared a silent conversation. ‘Is she alive?’ Asami’s expression asked. Opal nodded her head, a small smile on her face. A surge of relief rushed over Asami’s body.

The sound of gurgling laughter shattered the moment, however. They all turned to watch Stone Feng plant his hands firmly on the ground, then push himself up to his knees slowly. Blood was caked to his face, neck and chest. His nose was badly broken and one lip was split, yet the large man was wearing the same amused smile that he had been during the entire fight.

“Now that was exciting.” Stone chuckled. He turned his head to the side and spat out a glob of bloody phlegm. Bolin moved suddenly, pulling up a chunk of concrete, which then sent hurtling towards the other man. Stone Feng moved in a blur: he leapt back to his feet and swung one foot out towards the incoming projectile. The concrete suddenly changed direction and snapped back towards Bolin. The lavabender tried to move out of the way, but the chunk of hardened earth struck him in the side and he crumpled into a heap. “Sit down, boy. I’ll deal with you in a moment.”

Asami wasted no time. She rushed forward, her shock glove sparking with energy, and reached out to grab Stone by the arm. But her hand stopped suddenly. The rest of her body continued under her momentum, yet her gloved hand remained in the same spot, which left her arm in a painful position. She looked up to see Stone’s metal hand held up towards her gloved one, and a look of pure amusement on the scarred man’s face.

“I must admit, you’re the only non-bender who has managed to surprise me with their fighting skill.” Stone Feng began. As he spoke, he started to move around her in a slow circle. “Not even the legendary Lieutenant could keep up with me.” Asami reached up and attempted to remove the glove, but her fingers were curled slightly in a grasping position, and they refused to budge. “It will almost be a shame to kill someone with such talent. Almost.” He raised his other hand, and several shards of glass floated off the ground and moved towards her.

A bright flash of flame erupted between them, before the glass could reach her. Stone Feng sidestepped the first blast, but was forced to jump backwards to avoid the next two. Mako’s form then appeared from behind Asami. The firebender snapped his fists forward, sending a torrent of ruby flame in the earthbender’s direction. Stone pulled up a block of concrete to shield himself. Mako’s sudden attack had its desired effect, and suddenly Asami’s gloved hand was free to move again. She rushed into action a moment later, sprinting forward and jumping up over the top of Stone’s makeshift shelter.

Her feet collided with his head, the heel of her left boot digging into his left eye. Stone Feng fell backwards, a bellow of agony escaping his mouth. He clamped one hand over his ruined eye, while using the other brush aside Asami’s gloved hand as she tried to grab him by the neck. She hit the ground hard, and rolled to get behind him. But before she could even move to strike again, her feet were suddenly trapped in an earthen prison. Stone spun around and drove his metal fist into her gut. All the air was knocked from her lungs, and her vision blurred slightly. She stumbled to the ground, as her knees gave out beneath her.

“That was a nice move.” Stone grunted. He pulled his hand away from his missing eye, and stared at the gore that coated his palm. “But you’re going to pay for that, I promise.” He raised a fist to strike her again, but a ball of flame struck him in the chest before he could move.

“Get away from her, you bastard!” Mako roared. He twirled his arms quickly, and produced a bolt of lightning that shot out of his left hand, which still scarred from bringing down Kuvira’s mech. Stone Feng’s remaining eye widened slightly, and the big man took a step to the right in order to avoid the stream of energy. Asami watched in horror as the lightning bolt carved a path beyond Stone and headed straight towards Opal, who had her back facing them. Mako opened his mouth to shout a warning, but the bolt of energy was moving too quickly.

There was a blur of blue fabric, and suddenly Korra was standing in the spot Opal had been. She caught the bolt of lightning on two fingers of her right hand, then trailed two fingers of her left along her right arm, down her torso, across her stomach and back up again. The energy reappeared out of her left hand, and directed itself back towards Stone Feng. The big man simply stared in absolute shock, right before the bolt struck him in the chest. He was sent flying backward and collided with the wrecked truck. A huge hole in his chest let out a steady stream of smoke. The scarred man’s one remaining eye closed slowly, and his body went limp.

“I’m sorry.” Korra panted. Her left hand was smoking slightly, and had her right one clamped over the wound on her side. Asami watched helplessly, as Korra fell to her knees, then toppled forward onto her face. Try as hard as she might, Asami couldn’t manage to free her feet. Opal rushed over and knelt beside Korra’s form. Meanwhile, Mako helped Bolin back to his feet.

“Bo, a little help please?” Asami asked, trying to keep the panic from her voice. Bolin gave a small wave of his hand, and the concrete confining her feet melted away. Asami sprang into movement the second she was free. She stumbled over some rubble and sled the last few feet towards Korra on her knees. Small pieces of glass and rock dug into her legs, but she ignored the pain. She had to know if her wife was okay. “Please let her be alive.” Asami muttered, as she leaned down to help Opal roll Korra onto her back.

“H-hey, beautiful.” Korra said in a tiny voice. A huge sense of relief crashed over Asami at the sound of her wife’s voice.

“Hey.” She replied, grinning like a fool even as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. “Don’t try to move, sweetie, help is on the way.” Korra gave a small nod, and turned to rest her head on Asami’s lap. “That’s it, sweetie, just rest. It’s all over now.” As she spoke, Asami ran her fingers through Korra’s short hair, content to kneel there and comfort the woman she loved so much. Mako and Bolin soon joined them.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve been here sooner.” Mako said, as he helped lower his brother into a sitting position. “But we got all the way to the other end of the bridge before we realized that the truck wasn’t following us anymore. Then I had to fight through the crowd of panicked civilians in order to get back here.”

“Where’s Ming?” Opal asked. As they spoke, Asami placed her hands over the wound on Korra’s right side, trying in vain to slow down the bleeding.

“She went to get more help.” Make replied. “Here, use this.” He added, pulling off his uniform jacket and handing it to Asami. She accepted it without a word, and pressed it into Korra’s side.

“Here that, sweetie, help is on the way.” Asami purred, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. Korra’s eyes darted from place to place, never fixating on one thing for long. A thin layer of sweat had begun to build on her forehead and her skin was unnaturally pale. “Stay with me, Korra. Please stay with me. Help is coming, I promise, just hang on for me.”

“S-Sami?” Korra gasped, her eyes locking with Asami’s.

“Yes, sweetie, I’m here.” Asami replied, forcing herself to smile as best she could. Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to allow them to fall.

“I-I’m tired, Sami.” Korra whispered. “I’m so, so tired.”

“I know, honey, but you have to stay awake.” Asami instructed. She looked at the others for guidance, but they merely stared down at the ground with matching looks of grief on their faces. “Stay awake, Korra. Can you do that for me?” Korra nodded weakly. “That’s my girl.” Somewhere behind her, the faint sound of sirens approached. Thank the spirits. She thought. Then Korra’s eyes drifted closed. “Korra?” She asked, lightly tapping her wife on the cheek with her free hand. Panic clawed at her gut, when the other woman gave no reaction. “Korra!”

—

The first thing she was aware of was the pain. It started as an intense throb in her right side, and faded into a dull ache that encompassed her entire body. The second thing she noticed was the exhaustion. She felt like she'd been running all day with weights attached to her limbs. Just the act of opening her eyelids seemed to take far more energy than it should’ve. Bright white light filled her vision, forcing her to close her eyes once more. When she opened them again, the light was far less blinding. As her vision adjusted, she began to make out where she was.

Plain white walls and ceiling stared back at her. She was lying on a narrow bed, which somehow felt more uncomfortable than the cots on Air Temple Island. Her gaze eventually settled on a messy tangle of radiant black hair. Asami was seated in a chair beside the bed. She held one of Korra’s hands in her own, and had her head against the mattress, snoring softly. Korra smiled at her slumbering wife, and looked around the rest of the room. To her surprise, Naga was sprawled out on the floor beneath the room’s only window. The polar bear dog looked absurdly large in the small room. Naga seemed to sense that Korra was awake, and quietly crawled over and laid her large head on the mattress.

“Hey girl.” Korra whispered, running her fingers through Naga’s fur. “Sorry for the scare.” Naga’s large bright red tongue snaked out, and left a wet trail over Korra’s forearm. The sound of shifting fabric caught her attention, and she turned in time to see Asami’s brilliant green eyes open. There was a moment of shocked silence, then Asami surged forward and wrapped Korra in a tight embrace.

“You’re awake!” She exclaimed. Korra wrapped her free arm around Asami’s shoulders, and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I was so scared.”

“I know, and I’m sorry.” Korra replied. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.” Asami pulled away just enough so they could look each other in the eye.

“You have nothing to apologize for.” She said, adopting her CEO voice. “You save us. Without you, I honestly don’t know if we could’ve brought Stone Feng down.”

“What happened anyway?” Korra asked. She moved into a sitting position, using her pillows to prop herself up. “I don’t really remember that much after I was being hit by the glass, to be honest.” Asami then spent the next half an hour recounting everything that had happened during their fight with Stone Feng. Some details were surprising to Korra, especially how Asami nearly took him out on her own, and the fact that Korra had redirected Mako’s lightning. When she finished, Asami sat back and watched as Korra processed the details she’d been told. “So I really redirected lightning?” Asami nodded. “Holy spirits!”

A soft knocking sounded at the door, followed by Kya’s voice: “Hey, everybody awake in here?” The older waterbender asked, as she opened the door slightly. She smiled broadly when she spotted Korra. “Fantastic, you’re up and moving already. Listen, I hate to break up your private moment, but there’s a crowd of very nervous people out here who all want to know that you’re okay.”

“You can send them in.” Korra said, flashing her trademark lopsided grin. “It’ll be good to see them.” Kya nodded, then stepped out of the room. A moment later, the door opened again and in came: Bolin, Opal, Mako, Ming, Lin, Tenzin and Pema. “Hey guys.” Bolin rushed forward and wrapped her in a crushing bear hug. “Easy, Bo, I’m still a healing.”

“Oh, sorry!” The earthbender said. He released her a shy smile. “I’m just so happy that you’re okay.”

“We all are.” Tenzin added. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t have been there myself. But the Air Nation had business in Ba Sing Se that needed my attention.”

“Jinora, Ikki and Meelo all send their love as well.” Pema continued. “Ikki and Meelo didn’t want to overwhelm you so soon, and Jinora is still in the Fire Nation.”

“It’s okay, I appreciate the company.” Korra replied. “But it might be a couple days before I’m back at full strength.” As she spoke, Asami moved closer to the bed, still clinging onto Korra’s hand like a lifeline. Korra smiled at her wife, then turned her attention to Lin. “So, what’s the situation Chief?” A rare smile crossed Lin Beifong’s face.

“You know that I’m not the Chief anymore, Korra.” She said. “But to answer your question: it’s all been taken care of. Feng’s corpse has undergone an autopsy and will be buried with his family by the end of the week. Kyoshi Bridge is closed for now, however.”

“How long have I been out?” Korra asked, frowning slightly.

“Three very long days.” Asami answered.

“Asami hasn’t left your side once in that time.” Kya said, as she appeared in the doorway again. “Wish I could get a woman that determined.” She added, sending a wink in Lin’s direction. The former chief blushed slightly. “Naga’s been here the whole time as well, despite the staff’s complaints.” Korra smiled and leaned over to kiss Asami on the cheek, while scratching Naga’s head with her free hand.

“Well, at least I had my two favorite girls watching over me.” She teased. Asami swatted her on the arm, but she couldn’t hide the blush coloring her cheeks. Naga let out a happy bark, her tail thumping against the floor. When Korra looked back up, her gaze landed on Opal, who had been strangely shy. “So, what was it that you were going to tell us?” Opal glanced at Bolin, whose shy smile transformed into a broad grin.

“Well, uh.” Opal began. She blushed slightly, then looked over at her aunt. “Please don’t say anything to my mother yet, but….I’m pregnant.” The room immediately erupted into a series of cheers and congratulations. During which, Korra waved for Opal to step closer to the bed, so she could give her a hug. “Thank you for saving me.” Opal whispered in Korra’s ear, before they moved apart. Mako stepped forward to pull both Bolin and Opal into a long hug.

“Since we’re all sharing important news.” Ming said, once the room had quieted down again. “Mako and I decided that we’re going to take some time to travel. We don’t know for how long just yet, but we agreed that some time away from Republic City would be best for us.”

“But don’t go thinking that we won’t be coming back, because we will eventually.” Mako added quickly. “Like Ming said, after everything that’s happened, it’s just best for us to take some alone time.”

“Where are you going?” Bolin asked.

“I recommend the Spirit World,” Asami suggested, smirking. “It seems to do wonders with the ladies.”

“Asami!” Korra said, blushing furiously. Asami burst into a fit of giggles and, after a moment of stunned silence, the others did too. Meanwhile Korra tried to hide her face behind her blanket.

“Well, I think that’s enough excitement for one day.” Kya announced, bringing an end to their mirth. “Korra, you’ll be here for at least another day, then you’ll be able to go home safely. But remember not to do anything strenuous for the next week or so.”

“I’ll make sure she remembers.” Asami assured the healer. Each person said their goodbyes one at a time, starting with Bolin and Opal. “If you need any help designing a nursery or finding baby supplies, just let know.” Asami said, as she embraced Opal.

“We will.” Bolin replied. “But I think finding a place of our own is the first priority.” Mako and Ming took their turn once the previous couple had left.

“I understand the desire to go looking for yourself.” Korra told them. “But please stay safe, and remember that your family is here waiting for you.” The four of them exchanged hugs, before Mako and Ming took their leave. Next was an awkward hug from Lin, who simply congratulated them on bringing down Feng, before leaving. Lastly, Tenzin and Pema stepped forward.

“I’ve been meaning to say something to you, Korra.” Tenzin said, with a soft sigh. “But I didn’t want to embarrass you in front of the others. I just wanted you to know that I am so incredibly proud of you. Not just for what happened on Kyoshi Bridge, but because of the incredible woman you’ve become. We may not have always gotten along, but you were easily my best student.” Korra pulled him down into a rough hug, not bothering to hold back the joyful tears that rolled down her face.

“Thank you, Master Tenzin.” She whispered, her voice cracking. “I’m sorry for all the grief I put you through, and I’m so thankful that you were always there for me.” When she finally released him, they were both teary eyed. Pema simply stepped forward and hugged Korra gently.

“Just remember to take care of yourself, honey.” She said firmly. “I know that you think you’re invincible, but you’re not.” Pema straightened up and placed a hand on Asami’s shoulder, and the other on Korra’s. “And I wanted you both to know that I think of you as my family. It’s been an honor to watch you grow up, and I know that you’ll make fantastic parents some day.” With that, she and Tenzin started to take their leave.

“Before you go, Tenzin.” Korra said, looking up at her mentor with pride on her face. “When I redirected that lightning, I swear I sensed Aang. It was only for a moment, but he was there.” Tenzin nodded his head, a broad smile on his face. Once they were finally alone again, Korra scooted over and motioned for Asami to lay beside her on the bed. They stayed that way for a long time, arms wrapped around each other while they basked in comfortable silence.

“Did you mean what you told Tenzin?” Asami asked eventually. “Did you really sense Aang?” Korra let out a contented sigh.

“I believe so, yes.” She answered. “It didn’t feel like when I connect with Raava, at least. So I really hope that it was him.” Asami nodded, and shifted her body closer to Korra’s. “I can’t wait to go home though.”

“Me too.” Asami agreed, before she shut her eyes and started snoring softly again. Korra watched her for a moment, before staring up at the ceiling and allowing herself to feel thankful to be alive.

—

Chen was going about his usual chores around Air Temple Island, when he decided to take his lunch in the tower. It was by far his favorite place on the Island, since it offered an unparalleled view over Yue Bay and Republic City itself. Sure, he could easily have gone into the city to find somewhere new, but he simply didn’t want to. Air Temple Island was a special place for him, and in his mind nothing else could ever compare. Yet today turned out to be different from his usual peaceful lunches. Before he even reached his favorite spot, a window located just below the tower’s roof, he could hear something moving in the room.

“Hello?” Chen asked, as he opened the door slightly. When there was no reply, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. To his surprise, the angry owl-cat that he’d drawn before was sitting in the windowsill. The animal had its feathers ruffled and was growling softly. “Oh, hello.” Chen said, suddenly feeling nervous. He hadn’t encountered such a genuinely angry animal before. The owl-cat stared at him for a long moment, before turning and staring out the window.

Eventually, Chen decided to take the risk, and walked slowly towards the window. If he spooked the animal, then it would probably just fly away instead of attacking him. So where was the harm in trying to sit with it? The owl-cat didn’t move, as he knelt down before the window and laid out his lunch in his lap.

“So, have you been up here long?” He asked, after taking a bite out of his sweet roll. The owl-cat looked at him out of the corner of its eye. “Oh. Are you hungry?” He tore off a piece of the roll and held it out towards the animal. “I can share-“ He was cut off when the owl-cat’s head snapped forward and snatched the morsel from his hand, it’s shard beak digging into his skin.

“Ow, you little bastard.” Chen cursed, shaking the pain from his appendage. The owl-cat let out a curious meow. “What? Is that your name, Little Bastard?” Once more, the owl-cat meowed, this time more loudly. “Well that’s certainly a fitting name.” Chen remained silent as he finished off his lunch, occasionally offering Little Bastard pieces of food. The owl-cat was much more gentle when accepting the food this time.

“I have to go now.” Chen said, once he had finished eating. He stood up and brushed the dust from his robes. Little Bastard let out a pitiful meow, then began to sulk once more. Chen watched the animal with a feeling of pity in his gut. “Would you like to come with me?” Little Bastard stared up at him with a curious look. “You'll have to try and behave yourself though, the other Acolytes won’t be as forgiving as me if you bite them.” Little Bastard seemed to consider the offer for a moment, before leaping into the air and landing on Chen’s shoulder.

“Okay then.” Chen said, feeling immensely satisfied with himself. He opened the door and began the long walk back down the tower. “Oh, and you’ll have to hunt for meat yourself. We don’t cook any here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, already then, here’s the sixteenth and final chapter for Book 5: A New Path. Not as long as I thought it would be, but I’m honestly happy with how it turned out. It took me a while to finish this simply because I haven’t completed a project like this in a while, so it was kinda sad to see it end.
> 
> But now that it’s over, if you have any questions about the story, feel free to ask them. Also if you’d like to see me write another multi-chapter story like this one, or another fanfic in general, then as always I’m more than happy to take suggestions.
> 
> Lastly I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the support that you gave me since I took on this project. I honestly didn’t expect the popularity this would receive and I’m so very proud that I could entertain you all. So, as always, remember to take yourselves and never forget that you’re awesome.


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